
Class _EFlB^3 

Book ,L i Z ^ _ 

Copyright N° 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

FURTHER LESSONS RECEIVED 
THROUGH AUTOMATIC WRITING 



BY 

ANNE W. LANE 

AND 

HARRIET BLAINE BEALE 




NEW YORK 

DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 

1920 






Copyright, 1920 
Br DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, INC. 




jffc goftBi 8c gobtn Company 

BOOK MANUFACTURERS 
RAHWAV NEW JERSEY 



OCT 27 
©CI.A601065 



PREFACE 

The following Lessons are a continua- 
tion of the Lessons published in the book 
entitled "To Walk with God," and were 
received in the same manner — through 
automatic writing. As before we have put 
in nothing of our own, except where indi- 
cated by parentheses. 

We have added in the appendix such 
incidental questions and answers as seemed 
to us to bear on the teaching, or to be of 
general interest. 

Anne W. Lane. 
Harriet Blaine Beale. 

June 10th, 1920. 



CONTENTS 



I. 


Lessons on Will 


1 


II. 


Lessons on Knowledge . 


20 


III. 


Lessons on Joy . 


44 


IV. 


Lessons on Truth . 


67 


V. 


Lessons on Understanding 


. 88 


VI. 


Lessons on Sympathy 


125 


VII. 


Lessons on Love 


. 153 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

CHAPTER I 
LESSONS ON WILL 

FIBST LESSON ON WILL 

WE are ready to begin dictating. 
Are you ready? 

Are you pure in heart? 
Are you trying to live the life of the 
spirit? 

Are you sure of yourselves? Are you 
worthy of this knowledge? 

Are you earnestly in search of eternal 
life? 



Where is the world drifting while you 
sleep? 

1 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

Where will you work, with God's forces 
or with those of evil intent? 

Where will you stand, with God or with 
the powers of darkness 1 

For the evil forces are gathering for a 
supreme effort and we who are of the forces 
of light must all band together to combat 
the forces of evil. We will win, but if we 
do not work with our best effort we will 
eternally regret the days we lost. We will 
not be of the best and greatest powers if 
we do not work hard and now, for now 
begins the supreme contest of the powers 
of light and the powers of darkness, and 
in this contest man will be able to be of 
great assistance if he will take his rightful 
place, but, in order to do this, he must work 
and study until he is able to understand and 
follow where God would lead him. Each 
force added to the forces of light will 
shorten the time of waiting for eternity to- 
begin, and each one who does his part in 
working with the spiritual forces is helping 
2 



LESSONS ON WILL 

on the work of creation. Are we to lose 
all our chances to share in this great work? 

God gives to each man this opportunity 
in life there and if he will not do his part, 
he will be deterred from sharing in the 
great reward that God has planned for him. 
Are we to be of those powers which will 
only come to God when they have been so 
utterly beaten that there is nothing else for 
them, or are we to work as God wishes us 
to and be of his obedient children? Each 
day gives man this opportunity, and if he 
will not take these opportunities for which 
he was created, he will be worthless when 
the final day comes. 

Everything that God does is done by law 
and He will not break these laws for Him- 
self or His children. To work with God's 
laws is harmony while to work against 
them brings only discord. Choose care- 
fully, children of men, for eternal life or 
discord hangs on your choice ! 

If you would progress you must learn to 
3 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

work in harmony with God's laws. Are we 
to turn our faces to the light or are we to 
refuse to be of the living forces? Are we 
to stand erect or are we to crawl as the 
serpent? For each man has this choice 
given him, great as it may seem. 

Are we to conclude that we are without 
freedom of will when God has made us 
only a little lower than His angels? Are 
we to turn from great power to seize a few 
moments of pitiful, temporary pleasure, or 
will we turn, as little children to a loving 
father, and in so doing gain all of life and 
joy and knowledge? 

We call you, children of the earth world, 
and God waits. 

This is the first lesson on Will. Love. 




SECOND LESSON ON WILL 

God has given will to man and if we do 
that which He wishes us to do, we shall be 
of the Circles who will carry out His plans. 
Are we to be worthy of this great faith in 
us to which we seem so blind? Are we too 
to sell our birthright for a mess of pot- 
tage? If we are to work as we should we 
will begin and now, and, as we begin, we 
exercise our will, and in that exercise it 
develops and grows, and eventually it leads 
us to knowledge. So to learn to use our 
will is the first step to Circles. 

On earth men will develop what they will 
to develop. Are we to be of forces who do 
not intend to follow the law? We are free 
to choose and on our choice depends the 
future of each one of us. 

To deliberately turn from those things 
on earth which hamper our progress is to 
5 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

enter the Circles of the Will. To stamp 
out the spirit of wilfulness and to learn 
utter self-control is to be of the Circles of 
Will. To so conquer our worldly inter- 
ests we must overcome both self and 
outside influences. If we are to attain 
we must work and work hard, and 
this brings us into the Circles of the 
Will. 

If we are to grow spiritually, we will 
to grow. 

If we are to achieve, we will to achieve. 

If we are to learn, we will to learn. 

Whatever man accomplishes he does 
through will. Whatever we do, we do by 
the exercise of the will, no matter how in- 
significant it may be, and to learn to con- 
trol and direct our will, therefore, is most 
important to us, and the first step is self- 
control. 

To be absolute master of ourselves and 
our moods is to begin to be of power. Until 
this is achieved we cannot do fully that 
6 



LESSONS ON WILL 

which we are told to do. We are not always 
able to accomplish this, but each step for- 
ward carries us further on the path to ulti- 
mate success. Each man must learn self- 
control some time, and the sooner he starts 
the greater his power. 

Man would lose identity if he had to 
learn by force, so to each one is given 
complete freedom of choice as to when and 
how he will begin, and in his own hands 
rests his own destiny. We will not become 
fully developed spirits when we leave the 
earth plane if we have not started the 
development of our will while on earth, 
and will is quite distinct from wilful- 
ness there and here. Will implies 
complete self-mastery and self-con- 
trol. 

To will to utterly obey God's laws means 
entire self-mastery. To say "Thy will, not 
mine, be done,'' means perfect obedience 
through the will, and leads us to greater 
power than we ever dreamed of on earth. 
7 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

We will come only through this conquest 
into our full inheritance. 

This is the second lesson on Will. Pray 
and study and learn all of life's lesson. 
Love. 




8 



THIRD LESSON ON WILL 

When man begins to cultivate his will, lie 
begins to be of those Circles which fully 
understand the power of the will, and each 
step that he achieves leads him to further 
knowledge of the Circles to which he be- 
longs, and as his knowledge grows his un- 
derstanding of the ultimate truth broadens, 
while each time that he learns a little por- 
tion of the great and living truth, he be- 
comes better able to enter into the work 
of his Circles. 

When he finally has conquered what this 
Circle holds for him, he passes on into 
Knowledge, and to each is given a portion 
of the truth of all the Circles if they stead- 
ily work. Where is the man who will work 
without light on where he is going? Where 
is the man who with the vision of great 
achievement before him will turn away? 
9 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

And each day of work opens new vis- 
tas. 

Eventually man will be little lower tlian 
the angels, but to become this be must do 
his part to his full capacity, and each day 
that he defers starting on his real work is 
a day lost. God put man in a material 
world to test his ability to find the real 
among the false things in the midst of 
which he lives, and when he has tried the 
pleasures of earth and found how little 
real satisfaction they bring him, he be- 
gins to look for something beyond, and if 
he is sincere in his search he begins 
to will to find /the truth, and then he 
enters into his Circles. And as he seeks 
his will grows and his knowledge is in- 
creased. 

He may be unconscious of the spiritual 
guides who surround and aid him, but his 
own desire for only that which will be of 
benefit to all will keep him on the path, and 
as he works he grows, and in growing his 
10 



LESSONS ON WILL 

eyes are opened more and more to the real 
worth of life until he enters into conscious 
communion with the spirits of God. 
This is the third lesson on Will. Love. 




11 



FOURTH LESSON ON WILL 

To be able to be complete master of our- 
selves we will have to turn to the spiritual 
forces, for without the inspiration and 
guidance they give us we would be unable 
to follow that which we are told to do. To 
enter the Circles would be impossible with- 
out spiritual help, and that help we are 
given by the guides whose privilege it is to 
serve your world. 

To be alive to these forces is to be of 
great power and of great blessedness on 
earth, and later here with the eternal 
forces. To be able to work with these 
forces is to be spiritually alive. Axe we to 
do well that which God intended us to do, 
or are we to be blind to what is the best in 
life? 

In maMng this choice man asserts his 
will, and in his utter freedom to choose 
12 






LESSONS ON WILL 

when he will turn to God lies his complete 
freedom of the will. To give all of himself 
to his loving Father is a free gift which he 
alone can make. To determine when he 
will turn is to exert his free will, and, hav- 
ing once turned, to keep in the path, is to 
exert his will hourly. To rise each time he 
stumbles and to continue on his way, he 
must exert his will. To learn to willingly 
give up his own desires, to do as he is told, 
means self-mastery, and self-mastery is 
only acquired through the exercise of the 
will. 

To achieve anything man must use his 
Will spiritually or materially, and when he 
once learns how to exercise this faculty, he 
begins to be of worth in the Circles, and as 
he grows in power he will enter more fully 
into Knowledge. 

When once he has achieved Will, then he 
will be able to enter the Circles of Knowl- 
edge. But to achieve will means complete 
self-control, and this means power to think 
13 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

and will to perform. Even to be of Circles, 
we must be controlled in all our feelings 
and in all our moods, and until man has 
learned this urgent lesson, he cannot go 
on to the further and more advanced forces 
to which he would belong. 

So in order to be of great power and 
knowledge, he must learn first to concen- 
trate and use his will. 

This is the end of the fourth lesson on 
Will. Love. 




14 



FIFTH LESSON ON WILL 

When man turns to God he deliberately 
wills to surrender his own way and to walk 
in the path which God chooses as best for 
him, and each day of obedient service will 
open new light everywhere to him. Are 
we to be as willing workers in God's vine- 
yard even at the eleventh hour? 

For the Lord of the vineyard in his mercy 
has said that we can enter when we will 
even unto the last hour, and though the 
time we lost in waiting will never be made 
up, yet our work is helping to shorten the 
time of waiting for the blessed end. We 
all in time will be at the same place of 
judgment to answer for our lives, and, 
great as God's mercy is, the complete free- 
dom he has given to man makes him fully 
responsible for his own actions at all times. 

Far more tenderly than we would judge 
15 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

a beloved, little child, God will judge us, 
and we need have no fear of His judgment, 
but when the day comes that we see all that 
we might have done before us, we will be 
far sterner to ourselves than any judge 
would be, and the lost hours will condemn 
us to our own minds. Not only lost hours 
of opportunity but lost hours of the joy 
which only comes with perfect obedience to 
God's will. And the first step to that utter 
harmony is will. 

To recognize that we are on earth for a 
definite purpose and to ally ourselves with 
that purpose means an effort of the will, 
and that effort must be made daily, hour 
by hour, and eventually we shall accom- 
plish what we would. No failure must dis- 
courage nor must time be wasted in futile 
regrets. To arise from each stumble with 
firmer purpose and more determined will 
to conquer in the end, is to be on the road 
to success. To open our hearts and minds 
to God's love and sunshine, to refuse to be 
16 



LESSONS ON WILL 

downcast over mistakes, will require 
strong effort of our will. 

Are we to achieve without work? No 
strong foundation was ever built without 
effort and each stone of our spiritual foun- 
dation must be securely laid. We shall 
only be able to work with our full power 
when we willingly conform to all of God's 
laws, and when we have become thus obedi- 
ent through our own will, we shall love our 
brother as ourselves and so bring the earth 
world into more complete working har- 
mony with the spiritual world. 

Work hard, therefore, children of men, 
because on your effort much depends. 

This is the fifth lesson on Will. 

Love and work and study. We are 
always with you. Love. 




SIXTH LESSON ON WILL 

As in his work day by day man willingly 
turns to God, his power of comprehension 
further develops and he will apprehend 
what that truth is which he could not in 
the least understand before, while about 
him close are spiritual guides, and these 
guides will never leave him as long as he 
works with his full strength and as long 
as his heart is open to God's love and sun- 
shine. 

Whenever man turns to God and lives 
according to His laws, he feels in his heart 
a radiant joy that fills his whole life with 
content. Are we to pass this great and 
wonderful privilege by! Are we to be clods 
when we might be searchlights ? Are we to 
be content with the shadow when we might 
have the substance? Are we to be of 
18 



LESSONS ON WILL 

worthless energy which must return again 
and again to earth's lesson? 

All that is to be done must be done in the 
beginning while we are on earth before we 
can go to further planets and experiences, 
and only when we will be God's obedient 
children can we progress, and the first step 
on the journey is to will. 

This is the sixth cmd last lesson on will. 
Love. 




19 



CHAPTER II 
LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

FIRST LESSON ON KNOWLEDGE 

WHEN man has learned how to use 
his will and consciously to work 
with his spiritual guides, he 
enters into the Circles of Knowledge. 
Eventually he goes on to knowledge and 
power that are practically limitless, but 
in order to do this he must give time and 
study and when he gives them he will reap 
a reward greater than he can possibly 
dream. 

Are we to throw away all chance to be 

of real power? Are we to play always, or 

are we to take our place in the work of 

creation? To know these spiritual truths 

20 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

is to be of power and living usefulness. As 
this knowledge is given, man must will- 
ingly obey bis guides and then be enters 
the Circles to wbicb be belongs. 

Wben be is in Circles bis only tbougbt 
will be bow to work to tbe best advantage, 
and wben be is able to see tbe wonderful 
work be bas done be will gratefully con- 
tinue in the way, and tbe path of knowl- 
edge is filled with delight to tbe one who 
enters therein. As his mind opens and de- 
velops this work is filled with possibilities 
that would have seemed incredible to him 
before. 

When man learns how to use this knowl- 
edge and power he will be of use to all who 
seek light, and in this helpful work be will 
learn more and more of those spiritual pos- 
sibilities to which he is now so blind, and 
will believe more and more fully what his 
guides tell him. 

For until the light of the spirit, which 
only obedience to God's laws gives, illumi- 
21 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

nates his mind, he cannot apprehend spir- 
itual truth, and all knowledge has a deeper 
spiritual significance to which he will grad- 
ually open mind and soul, and when once 
man's mind opens to this way of appre- 
hending the deeper truth which underlies 
all knowledge, he will be of the Circles of 
Joy. Only then will he be able to love as 
he should, and when he is filled with love 
and life becomes a radiant way for him, 
he will be in the Circles of Understand- 
ing. 

To apprehend spiritual truth is to be of 
great power in the realms of thought to 
which we belong by right as children of 
God, for thought is the function of the mind 
which should co-ordinate and co-operate 
with the feeling of both soul and heart, 
both parts of man's spiritual self, and 
until he learns to use all these parts with 
equal obedience to Grod's laws, he cannot 
be fully developed, for when man comes 
to his full development he will be as power- 
22 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

ful in his mind as in his soul, and will be 
as the angels are to-day. 

Spirit has existed always and the spark 
that exists in each individual has no begin- 
ning nor ending. To man is given the op- 
portunity to fan his own little spark into a 
flame. The divine fire is there for him to 
cherish or destroy as he will. Not that 
it can really be destroyed, but that which he 
calls personality can be destroyed by re- 
fusal to do that for which he came into 
being, and when he refuses to obey God's 
will and to follow his spiritual guides, he 
must lose all conscious touch with those he 
has loved for many aeons, and return again 
and again to earth's lessons, until he learns 
that all forces must obey their laws, and 
only when he finally learns this can he join 
those who have been less wilful and enter 
his Circles. 

Each time that he returns to earth he 
sinks lower in spiritual power and goes to 
less important Circles, until after the final 
23 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

trial, lie is discarded as worthless energy, 
and thrown forth as are the worthless 
atoms of dead matter, while his spirit re- 
turns to the great central source of life, 
there to be purified and sent forth afresh. 

Those who turn to their guides are well 
over earth's lessons and trials. All others 
must return again and again. All do not 
necessarily consciously ally themselves 
with and communicate with their guides, 
but only when they do can they work with 
their full power, and whoever turns to his 
guides there on earth will become of the 
greatest help in working with all those 
powers which work for God, and will be 
of those who are with God for eternity. 

And whoever would be of wise forces 
will begin and now, for the work to be done 
is great and the everlasting foundations 
must be laid. Work hard, therefore, day 
by day ! Study and learn and teach ! 

All that man can do is to be willing to 
work as God would have him. To love and 
24 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

trust and go where the path opens, and 
there spread the doctrine he knows, to be 
a source of teaching the truth to all who 
come in touch with him, to work in this 
way in the vineyard where he has been 
placed, to be an inspiration and an example 
to those around him, this is the way to 
follow the law which God has made for 
man. 

When man follows this law and puts 
himself in conscious communication with 
his guides, he will enter into such joy as 
he has never imagined and life will be a 
radiant way in which he walks. 

This is the first lesson on Knowledge. 
Love. 

(I suppose a strong personality is the final flower of 
a nature in perfect harmony with God's laws?) 

" Yes, if they can conquer self." 

(Is there any limit to the number of times that a spirit 
can return to earth?) 

"That depends on the use they make of their oppor- 
tunities." 



25 



SECOND LESSON ON KNOWLEDGE 

To dream away one's life without fol- 
lowing out life's numerous lessons is to 
waste time and energy. To work to the 
full of one's strength and ability is to be 
of value. To love and study and teach 
service is to do God's will. To reach all 
those who need help and light and to start 
them on the path for themselves, such is 
man's work wherever he may be, and the 
circle of his influence spreads as he goes 
on life's pathway. 

To be the means of starting others on the 
path of joy and service is a great work. 
To bring more rays of light into a darkened 
world is service. To be of help in the most 
vital thing in man's life is to be of service. 
To bring joy where sorrow was is to be of 
service. To love and serve is the highest 
expression of life. To be of the founda- 
26 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

tion stones of life, is to work consciously 
with God and with Circles. To teach men 
how to find the door to eternal life and to 
open it for themselves, as they must, im- 
plies great devotion and service, and to do 
this wisely is to be of the Circles of 
Knowledge. 

To turn away from the material for the 
spiritual will take both will and knowledge. 
To learn how to so give this message that 
all who hear will desire to work, is to be 
of the Circles of Knowledge. To take them 
progressively step by step on the path you 
have followed, to teach with utter confi- 
dence that what you should say will be 
given you, to so live that you will not be 
a contradiction of your own words, to fol- 
low in the pathway shown by Christ's 
teaching, to teach all who will listen to be 
joyous and live in loving trust, is to be 
of the Circles of Knowledge. 

To take no thought for the morrow, 
knowing that all good is given by God to 
27 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

his loving children, and to live wherever 
you may be placed in life in complete har- 
mony with all those with whom you come 
in contact, is to be of the Circles of Knowl- 
edge. 

To see only the divine spark under all 
the faults and failings caused by materi- 
alism, to rise above all pettiness and per- 
sonalities, to work and wait not knowing 
when the seed planted will develop and bear 
fruit, to sow with a lavish hand in order 
that some seed may grow, is to be of the 
Circles of Knowledge, and each step for- 
ward brings more and more joy and further 
knowledge. 

For some the path is more difficult to 
climb than for others, but the reward is 
the same, and as glimpses of these possi- 
bilities are given the way grows easier to 
each one, and as heart and mind open, the 
flood of God's sunshine pours in and all 
life is illumined by Christ's love and knowl- 
edge. 

28 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

When man is once able to consciously 
work with his guides, life will be a very 
different thing for him, and all the cares 
that seemed so overwhelming will be as 
nothing in his new understanding of life's 
meaning. His one thought will be how 
best to do his work for God and the 
world, and life's whole meaning will be 
changed. 

To be of power we must be able to do 
as we are told by our guides, and that 
means study and reflection on all that we 
learn in this way. All that we read by 
those who have also been taught, is to be 
given careful attention, for truth seen from 
different angles will be light on the path 
to knowledge, and those who are in true 
touch with their guides will soon be able to 
discriminate the real from the fancy of 
others. 

To so keep an open mind that every truth 
will be quickly assimilated while the mis- 
takes of fancy will be thrown aside as is 
29 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

the chaff, will be of great value, and this 
belongs to the Circles of Knowledge. 

Each day of open-minded and intelligent 
search will lead him further into these 
circles, and as his knowledge and power 
grow his work will develop and broaden. 
Each hour of study helps him on his way, 
and each hour of work in God's vineyard 
makes him of greater power, for all knowl- 
edge must be used in giving this light to 
others if it is to be given more and more 
fully to him who asks for power. 

No selfishness can enter in without its 
interfering with belief and development, 
and no envy nor willingness to deprive 
others of larger growth. To rejoice in 
each other's growth and light is part of 
the Circles of Knowledge. To learn to be 
selfless, giving to all with a bountiful hand, 
asking only for a chance to do one's work 
well, is to be of the Circles of Knowledge. 

To rejoice in each one's growth, to forget 
one's self entirely and to live in God's love 
30 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

as only a happy little child lives, is to be 
of the Circles of Knowledge. To greet 
each new day as a further opportunity 
for work and happiness in God's love, is 
to be of the Circles of Knowledge, and to 
him that hath and uses well what he hath, 
shall be added. 

This is the second lesson on Knowledge. 
Love. 




31 



THIRD LESSON ON KNOWLEDGE 

To learn the deeper spiritual signifi- 
cance that lies under all knowledge is to 
come very close to the meaning of nature 
and of God, and man can only do this when 
he takes to his study and work an open 
mind and a loving heart. Only then can he 
be in the necessary sympathetic under- 
standing which will enable him to read 
the deeper meaning, and when that day 
comes, and little by little the heart of 
nature is disclosed to him, his wonder 
will grow and grow. 

You to-day go through the world with 
your eyes blinded and your ears closed to 
all the divine harmony, and only when man 
is spiritually alive can he catch the great 
rhythm that is always there but to which 
his eyes and ears are closed. To learn 
how to become alive to this harmony is to 
come into the Circles of Knowledge, and, 
32 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

once having learned, to still be able to live 
in the world and be of it without losing 
the better part, requires much will and 
wisdom. 

To pass the material for the spiritual 
means wisdom. To continually will to suc- 
ceed in the spiritual life means a daily and 
continuous desire, and each day of effort 
brings deeper understanding and joy, for 
only by work and utter obedience can this 
great and blessed privilege be acquired by 
man. 

All spiritual teaching is founded on truth 
and only by careful study can the wheat 
be separated from the chaff. To study, 
therefore, is of much importance, to weigh 
and ponder and discriminate, and each 
grain of truth added to one's treasure 
soon makes a large and bountiful harvest. 

Work therefore day by day, and share 
as you work with all who will listen. 

This is the third lesson on Knowledge. 
Love. 

33 



FOURTH LESSON ON KNOWLEDGE 

When man in his blindness and selfish- 
ness refuses to obey God's laws, he is 
unable to join his guides and to work with 
them, and, after leaving this earth, he must 
return again to earth, and so he goes 
through trial after trial until he proves 
his worth or his worthlessness. Each 
trial finds him of lower spiritual Circles 
and each trial will make the fight harder for 
him, but he will be given many opportuni- 
ties and only when he proves himself of no 
value will he be cast out. 

When he is cast out his personality will 
be lost and his spark of God's spirit will be 
returned to the great central source of 
spirit, and, after being purified, will be sent 
forth to begin in another way. 

This time it may begin in a much lower 
form of life until after aeons of time it 
34 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

has earned its right to a further trial to 
regain its lost opportunities, and this ac- 
counts for many inequalities on earth, and 
for many seeming injustices in the places 
where people are found. 

To be able to progress, each one must ally 
himself with his guides, either consciously 
or by so living that the result is the same 
manner of life, though without his guides 
no man can ever work with his full power, 
and each man can find his guides if he per- 
severes in the search for them. Persistent 
effort and constant study will be required 
if man is to achieve that power which is 
necessary to work with these forces, but the 
reward is so great that nothing he could 
do would be half enough. 

As for the poor blind souls who turn wil- 
fully away from their loving father, they 
too eventually return to the light, but not 
as spiritual forces, and they will be of the 
forces which, like disobedient children, are 
not wholly of their father's house. 
35 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

Nothing is destroyed, and like attracts 
like, so disobedient force is joined to forces 
which are of darkness or destructive 
energy, and to the spiritual forces is given 
the work of redemption, first there on earth, 
later working from the third plane with 
those on earth and with the delayed spirits 
in the second plane. 

The spirits of the second plane are those 
who have been more stupid than bad and 
who will be able to go on after they have 
been given further instruction. 

Those spirits who must return again to 
earth's lessons go to a planet where they 
are taught while they wait for a chance for 
re-birth, and their teachers are the angels 
themselves who have never known sin, for 
every attempt that is possible is made to 
redeem each living soul. 

Therefore the work of doing all that one 
can on earth is most important, and to do 
this well means to be of the Circles of 
Knowledge. 

36 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

This is the fourth lesson on Knowledge. 
Love. 



(A. and H. revising lessons that had been typewritten 
for the publisher. Dr. X. present. The fifth paragraph 
of the fourth lesson on Knowledge had just been read, 
and Dr. X. asked, " Will you ask this question for me ? 
When the discipline on a plane is constantly refused it 
appears from what has been said in the former lessons 
that there is a cessation of personality. Is it here inti- 
mated that there is a cessation of personality when the 
recusant soul goes finally to associate with destructive 
energy?" H. repeats question.) 

"When a soul goes to join destructive energy it no 
longer has its spark of spirit and is outside spiritual 
energy. Personality means spiritual personality." 

(Answer read. "Is that right?") 

"Yes, we are glad to have you ask questions on any 
point that is not clear." 

(Dr. X. — through H. — "Then the ultimate penalty 
of disobedience is total loss of personality?") 

"Yes." 

(Dr. X. — through H. — ''Then immortality is condi- 
tional, is it?") 

"Yes, conscious immortality." 

We are here and we are able to work to-day. 
(Spirit, to Dr. X's last question your answer was: 
" Conscious personality." He wishes now to ask, When 

37 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

the personality has thus lost consciousness, is that the 
end of that individual personality forever? Or is the 
very same individual personality sometimes able to re- 
gain its former consciousness and go on again with the 
same individuality as before?) 

When the spark of spirit returns to the great Source 
of spirit the individuality is lost forever, but in each 
case there are many and repeated trials before this judg- 
ment is pronounced. 




38 



FIFTH LESSON ON KNOWLEDGE 

Certain men are not able because of en- 
vironment and education to believe what 
they cannot prove by what they call logic, 
and these will only be delayed a short time 
after they leave the earth plane. There are 
special guides waiting for them, ready to 
teach them when they are able to learn 
what they did not learn on earth, and these 
guides are of a very high order of spiritual 
intelligence. 

All that a man has heard and pondered 
over, perhaps in part rejecting because of 
the education that demands positive proof, 
will really be a part of his unconscious be- 
lief which has had much influence on his 
life. Everything that he has worked on 
conscientiously will be of value, whether 
with his limited knowledge he accepts it 
there or not, and all that he brings is 
39 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

part of his ultimate spiritual force. All 
that he thinks or does goes to make up his 
personality. No thought is lost or gone. 
Thoughts are living facts which are as 
indestructible as any other force. A 
thought of hate creates an atmosphere of 
its own which makes a thick mist around 
the one who feels it, and this mist can only 
be dispelled by the light rays which are 
induced by love. 

All love is creative and is a part of light, 
and when man begins to understand the 
divine idea behind all life, he will be 
astonished at the extent of its possibilities 
and new ideas will come to him at every 
turn, and he will carry in his heart and also 
in his mind a new light which will be love. 
Love which will reach out and include 
everything which God has made and espe- 
cially each individual who has not yet the 
blessing of this wonderful truth. 

To love is the fullest expression of God, 
and only when man loves will he be in the 
40 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

highest spiritual Circles, and to love is to 
be patient, long-suffering and forgiving no 
matter what is done. 

When man learns that nothing actually 
can hurt him that is done by man, he will 
be more ready to forgive and help the poor 
soul who has no light. To believe is to live 
the life, to forgive your enemies, to diffuse 
the light of love, and to help and teach all 
around you, and so enter into the full com- 
munion with the Christ spirit. To who- 
ever can do this will be given the light 
that passeth understanding. 

This is the fifth lesson on Knowledge. 
Love. 




41 



SIXTH LESSON ON KNOWLEDGE 

When love of his fellow-man has so filled 
the heart of man that he looks for only the 
divine spark and ignores all else, he will 
be in the Circles of true knowledge, for 
the greatest thing is life and all that goes 
to make or influence it — all other knowl- 
edge takes a lesser place. Life is the su- 
preme fact and when man once opens his 
mind to the greater, the lesser knowledge 
will be given him. 

Man on earth to-day is chiefly concerned 
with acquiring either scientific or intellec- 
tual knowledge and he shuts his mind to the 
greater knowledge, the knowledge of spir- 
itual opportunities and laws. Only in these 
laws can he find full expression for the 
powers that are his; and only by con- 
sciously working with and being always 
willingly obedient to these laws, can he 
42 



LESSONS ON KNOWLEDGE 

rise to his full stature, and each one who 
lives the life, as he can if he will, grows 
daily and hourly in knowledge. 

All that the one who has the light can do 
must be done to teach others to find the 
way, for until all men turn willingly to the 
great source of light and love, the world 
must be a place of trials and sorrows. 

Let no opportunity escape to do your 
part! Work joyfully in the belief that no 
effort is lost, and bring to your work wher- 
ever it may be, a full realization of its im- 
portance to you and to God. 

This is the sixth lesson on Knowledge. 
Love. 




43 



CHAPTER HI 
LESSONS ON JOY 

FIKST LESSON ON JOYi 

WHEN man learns that he is a part 
of creation and that on his co- 
operation depends the continuity 
of his development, then he will begin to 
really work, and as his will develops and his 
knowledge grows, he begins to enter into 
the Circles of Joy, and each day's work 
will lead him closer to the great Giver of 
all joy and each day will make him a better 
child of God. As his work continues it will 
teach him a joy of which he has now no 
conception, for there is an inner radiance 
of the spirit which surpasses anything of 
which he has dreamed, and only in obedient 
work for God can he find this. 
44 



LESSONS ON JOY 

Each day will open new opportunities to 
do his work well and to learn more and 
more while doing it, and as his vision en- 
larges his joy floods into his whole soul and 
makes him a new being, for this radiance 
in the spirit is utterly unlike any joy that 
he has known before. This is the spiritual 
side of what is known as earthly joy and 
is infinitely deeper and more real. Only as 
"his obedience and trust become more de- 
veloped will he enter into these Circles, 
and until he is of the Circles of Joy 
he is not entirely of the life of the 
spirit. 

After once entering therein his greatest 
punishment would be to lose this light, and' 
no man can lose it except by wilfully turn- 
ing from his work. The further he goes 
into the Circles, the greater will be his fall 
if he ever turns away, for of all destruc- 
tive forces, the greatest are the fallen 
angels, and to be of these forces is to be 
forever outside spiritual force. To be out- 
side spiritual force is to never be of real 
45 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

power, to never belong to the builders of 
creation, to be only onlookers at the great 
work and never participators. Better the 
end of those who are only stupid and blind 
than that of those who wilfully turn from 
the knowledge and light they have known 
and been given on earth ! For this knowl- 
edge and light must be asked for to be 
given and are given only to those who 
promise to use them wisely for teaching 
others. 

The joy that comes from the knowledge 
and understanding of these Circles is be- 
yond all price, but whoever will not pay 
the price of helpful work is condemned to 
spiritual diminution of power, because each 
lost opportunity brings diminished spir- 
itual power, and to wilfully turn away 
from the great insight given is to deny 
belief and God. Therefore, those who have 
never heard of or studied these teach- 
ings are better able to progress than the 
one who asks for knowledge and for light 
46 



LESSONS ON JOY 

and, after receiving both, turns away. 

The light that comes in all spiritual teach- 
ing when once we begin to apprehend the 
truth will bring a very complete realiza- 
tion of the joy that can only be found in 
this way. All earthly joy pales and be- 
comes of no value in the light that knows 
no ending either on earth or here. 

All earthly life and emotions have their 
spiritual counterparts beside which they 
actually seem a vague dream, and particu- 
larly is this so of joy. Spiritual joy can 
no more be compared to the pleasures that 
earth gives than you can compare the 
candle light to that of the sun. When once 
this light is comprehended no lesser joy 
will be able to satisfy. 

To belong to the Circles of Joy, therefore, 
is to begin to enter into one's heritage, and 
to those who have carefully studied will be 
given this new and blessed privilege on 
earth. 

This is the first lesson on Joy. Love. 
47 



SECOND LESSON ON JOY 

When one enters into the Circles of Joy 
the inner radiance is so great that it must 
be shared, and each one that actually 
spreads this truth will enter more (and 
more fully into these Circles, and as his 
comprehension deepens his work becomes 
more vital to him and to those whom he 
teaches, for to start each new soul on this 
quest for his heritage is of all privileges 
the greatest. To be able to sow the seed 
of belief in eternal life is to belong to the 
great powers which rule all of the universe, 
and as each seed is sown the joy of creation 
itself is known to the sower. 

When once this inner radiance is given 

to evidence that the work is good, he who 

has felt it will be of the Circles of Joy, and 

to each will come this wonderful inner 

48 



LESSONS ON JOY 

illumination as he continues on the path to 
God, and as his inner light grows he will 
show it in his outer life and personality. 
Each time he sows the seed wisely his radi- 
ance increases and his power is enlarged. 
Each time he fails to work as he should 
his light is dimmed, and only prayer and 
renewed effort can make up for the work 
wilfully neglected. 

All work must be done with prayer. All 
seed must be blessed by prayer. The im- 
portance of prayer which is communion 
with God's spirit cannot be overestimated. 
Prayer is the uplifting of man's spirit to 
his Creator in utter willingness to obey, 
in utter love, and entire surrender of self. 
True prayer asks for only that which is 
God's will, for He knows far better than 
we can what is best for each one of us, and 
God will give to each one only that which 
will enable him to lead the life intended 
for him. 

As a happy little child takes from his 
49 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

father all that is intended to give him 
pleasure, so man will take from His Father 
all the blessings He intends for him, and 
all the riches of earth, all earthly pleasures 
are for him, only he must use them wisely 
in helping others. 

All riches are, like the ten talents, a trust 
from a loving Father who will ask you one 
day how you have used them, and to him 
who has used them wisely will be added 
in great measure. And each day of wise 
purpose brings new joy and the heart is 
flooded with further radiance until it over- 
flows on all around, for this joy can only 
be fully known when it is shared with all 
who will listen, and no man can tell of the 
heart hunger of those who seek the light 
until he talks to them and opens the gates 
of resistance. 

Each seed sown on fertile ground will 

bear a great harvest and each seed sown 

among the rocks may develop ultimately 

into a willingness to hear and learn, so no 

50 



LESSONS ON JOY 

seed is lost to the sower and the joy of the 
harvest will be beyond our comprehen- 
sion. 
This is the second lesson on Joy. Love. 




51 



THIRD LESSON ON JOY 

As man enters more fully into a compre- 
hension of the limitless possibilities opened 
by this work, he will not only give more 
time to it and to prayer, but he will be in- 
creasingly able to give more help to 
others ; and the more he gives, the more he 
will receive, for unlike earthly treasure, 
the more one gives the more one has, and 
there is no joy equal to that of sharing. 

To be the means of bringing this joy to 
others who have not known it, is to be 
doubly blessed. To be able to give all of 
one's time to this work is to be of the forces 
which work forever with God. It means 
to be utterly free in the future to work 
how and where one will. To man is given 
complete freedom to turn whenever he will 
to God on earth, but when he turns of his 
own accord to Him and willingly asks the 
52 



LESSONS ON JOY 

teaching of his guides, he will be entirely- 
free in the future from all limitations to 
acquire whatever knowledge he desires. 

When man learns what there is to do in 
the universe he will be sorry for anything 
that causes delay, and each day of delay 
will be an evidence of his wilfulness or 
blindness. Each day of delay makes his 
will less strong and makes it more difficult 
when he finally turns. Habit is harder to 
break than it is to form, and worldly habits 
are very difficult to throw off. Each day of 
delay is forging chains which must be 
broken if he is to turn to spiritual life in 
the end. 

All those who would be of the Circles 
should be very careful how they work and 
how they are living, being careful to work 
only when they are very sure of their pure 
purpose and of their loving, unselfish and 
understanding heart and mind. Those who 
work otherwise are opening their minds 
and souls to the evil forces who are always 
53 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

watching for a chance to open communi- 
cation with the world. And in this there is 
always danger, for no one can tell what 
effect evil suggestions may have upon his 
mind, and to be of pure mind is necessary 
to do all work of this kind. 

For man to belong to the Circles brings 
great responsibilities because he will be 
given much knowledge and we will expect 
him to understand that this is given only 
for the use of the world. When he uses 
it wisely he will know by the inner radi- 
ance that his work is good. He will never 
understand what this radiance is until he 
has entered into it and learned to know it 
for himself. When once one has lived by 
this light he can never be quite the same. 
One can never be as hard and unloving as 
he was before, and as one enters more fully 
into the Circles of Joy, this light grows 
and grows. Each day of service adds to 
it and each day passed without sharing it 
dims its radiance. 

54 



LESSONS ON JOY 

To live in this light is to live as the 
saints have lived in the joy of the daily 
and constant communion with the spirit of 
God. When man lives in this light noth- 
ing can touch him that comes from the 
world and his one thought will be how to 
help those who do not know this light, and 
start them on the way. 

When his whole life is one of service, his 
joy will be great and his entrance in to his 
Circles will be assured, and each day of 
service will bring him new joy and more 
light and understanding. When he is fully 
in his Circles he will be a spiritual being, 
and not until then can he really be of the 
spirit. When he has fanned the spark 
given him into a steady flame he will be 
entirely of the Circles, and he will grad- 
ually pass from one Circle to another until 
he is eventually a member of the highest, 
the Circle of Love. And when that day 
comes he will be a wonderful spirit and will 
be able to do all those things which are 
55 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

called miracles, but which are all (done 
under the law. 

To work towards this goal is what God 
wishes us to do, and on each step of the 
way to take others with us. To study and 
work and teach without ceasing, and to 
willingly trust that all we need will be 
given us. And each day of service will 
bring us deeper joy and understanding, and 
each joy shared is doubly ours, and all life 
will be a sowing on earth of the seed of 
eternal life. 

This is the third lesson on Joy. Love. 




56 



FOURTH LESSON ON JOY 

When man learns that all that stands 
between him and existence in the spiritual 
world is a lack of conformity to God's laws, 
he will try to do better. He only needs the 
will to obey and then, consciously or uncon- 
sciously, his guides can reach him, and 
each day of real endeavor to do as God 
wishes will make the path easier to fol- 
low. As his insight grows his joy will in- 
crease and his work will be better done. 

Once started on this path he will never 
turn back unless he is so filled with the 
arrogance that power brings that he pre- 
fers to use the power for his own ends. 
Then he must take his great punishment 
and struggle through aeons to be forgiven 
and to win back his spark of spirit. This 
he can do by hard struggle, but he can 
never be of the same degree of power, nor 
57 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

can he ever again be trusted with the great 
work of teaching, which is the greatest 
privilege given to man. 

To be allowed to turn others into the 
path of pure joy is a wonderful work. To 
add to the light of the universe is a great 
privilege, for each soul that comes into the 
way of life sheds its own light and radiance 
wherever it goes, and adds to the whole 
light of the worlds. To be allowed to share 
in this great work of creation is to be given 
a great and glorious part. 

Happy will he be who takes his place 
therein, for the joy derived from this work 
is beyond all comprehension, and to him 
who enters this path and continues therein 
faithfully will be given all power, knowl- 
edge and joy, and to be of these happy ones 
is to be greatly blessed. But it means work 
and study and time given to teaching 
others how to find the same path for them- 
selves, and to do this requires the will to 
work and the wisdom to clear the way from 
58 



LESSONS ON JOY 

earthly interruptions, for each bit of 
knowledge gained by study is a bit of light 
on the pathway. Work prayerfully and 
grow in power ! 

This is the fourth lesson on Joy. Love. 




59 



FIFTH LESSON ON JOY 

To be of the Circles of Joy is to be of 
complete self-control so that all the things 
of the world which would ordinarily make 
us sad or depressed no longer have power 
over us. To be of such complete self-con- 
trol that we live in the radiance of daily 
communion with God, and no' lesser thing 
matters. 

To the soul seeking perfection the im- 
perfections are of no consequence, for he 
knows that they all must come to approxi- 
mate perfection in time, and the only dis- 
turbing thought is that a soul will never be 
of the same power if it cannot be awak- 
ened to the full meaning of life. To the 
soul seeking ultimate perfection the joy 
of knowledge is beyond words to describe. 
All that we could get of earthly treasure 
would not give us one iota of such joy, 
60 



LESSONS ON JOY 

and all that we need to do to have this 
blessing is to be obedient in heart and mind 
to our loving Father. 

When we turn with daily prayer to God 
we are opening the door, and when we turn 
minute by minute to do His will we are 
really obedient. "When we are utterly 
obedient we will be of the Circles of Joy 
and all that we do and say will be well 
done and said, and when we are really of 
these Circles, we will be able to reach 
through and find whom we will on the third 
plane. 

For man to be in constant touch with 
those whom he has lost is a great privilege, 
and he can only do so when he is in com- 
plete harmony with his guides. To be thus 
in harmony means being pure of heart and 
purpose and willing to do all that we can 
to follow God's law. When man is thus 
obedient he will develop the communica- 
tion which he desires and, as his power 
grows, he will realize what vision means, 
61 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

for there is a spiritual vision by which we 
see and hear spiritual teachers and others 
who have gone on, even more clearly than 
we see and hear earthly things. But ex- 
cept in a few individual cases this is only 
earned by much study and hard work. To 
be of these gifted ones is to be very close 
to spirit life, but in developing this power 
man must not neglect his worldly duties, 
because not to do what he is to do in the 
world lessens his power again. 

To find the spiritual significance behind 
each of earth's lessons is to acquire power. 
To see only the spiritual through the outer 
garment is to begin to have vision. To 
try to turn to the light each one with whom 
one comes in contact is to be of the Circles 
and to work with one's guides, and who- 
ever does this gains in spiritual power. To 
those who work consciously day by day 
will be given both sight and hearing of a 
very high order, for this power is given 
in different degrees to those who prove 
62 



LESSONS ON JOY 

worthy, and only as long as it is wholly 
used for the benefit of others and to give 
help on the way, will it continue to be 
granted. 

This power can be developed very far if 
one is wise and faithful when trusted with 
it, and only when it is wisely used will it 
continue to be given. No material longing 
must enter in, only the desire for fuller 
spiritual life and the proof of the contin- 
uation of life and love, for real earth love 
is never lost, nor, when life is wisely lived, 
is there ever further separation. 

This is the fifth lesson on Joy. Love. 




63 



SIXTH LESSON ON JOY 

Are we ready? Are we pure in heart? 
Study the Book of Jolm. 

Where is the man who, seeing the doors 
to a great and beautiful future open before 
him, will turn away for a troubled life? 
Yet that is just what each one does in the 
world day after day. The doors to ever- 
lasting life and joy stand open and man 
will not even look to see for himself what 
lies beyond. 

Even the radiance of the spirit testified 
to by those who know it for themselves 
does not open eyes blind to spiritual life. 
Only when shaken by sorrow and loss, they 
lose for the moment all interest in earthly 
life, will they listen, and only to these can 
this message of joy be fully given. To find 
64 



LESSONS ON JOY 

those who are in sorrow, to comfort them 
by the hope of communication with those 
whom they have lost, is a work of great 
service, and this service is the work of 
those who believe for the sorrowing and 
the desolate of the world. To visit the sor- 
rowful and the fatherless and to bring joy 
into their lives is to live the life as God 
wishes we should. Only then do we enter 
fully into the Circles of Joy, and only then 
are we fully of the spirit. 

To be in close communion with God is 
to do His work as He would have it done. 
All who do this are of the radiant Circles 
of Joy and bear a light into the darkness, 
willingly rejoicing with those who do re- 
joice and weeping with those who weep. 
But they will teach those who weep that 
they have hope and joy in the future and 
that the way they have found so long and 
dark has a great and beautiful ending, if 
only they will open their eyes and see for 
themselves. And when they have learned 
65 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

how to do this, they will enter the Circles 
of Truth. 

And this is the sixth lesson on Joy. 
Love. 




66 



CHAPTER IV 
LESSONS ON TRUTH 

FIRST LESSON ON TRUTH 

We are here. Are we ready? Are we pure 
in heart and are we willmg to do all that 
we can m this work? 

WHEN man begins to apprehend 
spiritual truth, he is in the 
Circles of Truth. Each day that 
he works and studies new truth is un- 
folded to him. As each new truth is 
learned and as his mind opens more and 
more to the enormous possibilities of this 
light and understanding, he will begin to 
realize how important his work is, and each 
day's endeavor to do God's work will bring 
this realization to him more fully. 
67 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

To live the life, we must be in close touch 
with our spiritual guides, and to be thus 
in touch we must be both obedient and will- 
ing to be of those who work for others. 

To work as we desire you should will not 
take you out of that place where you are. 
The place where you are is the place where 
your work is to be done, but your life must 
be so ordered that you can seize those op- 
portunities which come to you daily to help 
others on the way and to teach all who 
will listen. 

Where you are is the place of great op- 
portunity for you, and by taking these op- 
portunities, you will enlarge the circle of 
your influence and work. Each one im- 
pressed by this teaching is like a stone 
thrown into the water, making its own 
ripple which grows and grows, and when 
the day comes that you will know that 
which you have accomplished you will know 
the value of your work. The seed sown 
upon apparently stony soil often produces 
68 



LESSONS ON TRUTH 

an astonishing harvest, while, on the other 
hand, where the soil seems most fertile, 
the weeds may choke all growth and life. 

As nature sows her seed with a lavish 
hand, so sow yours, knowing that nothing 
is lost, no effort wasted. Where results 
are least expected great good may come. 
Fear to see no one, to talk to no one. For 
the good that may come does not permit of 
fear of consequences. Believe that what 
you should say will be given you and walk 
fearlessly in the light of God's love and 
truth. 

Walk fearlessly and teach the great 
truth as you go, for a darkened and sad 
world needs the truth as never before, and 
each ray of light shed in the darkness will 
glow like a great sun to those who look 
for help. 

And as you teach this truth, bring to 
each one a full realization of the import- 
ance of each man's place in God's scheme, 
for until all are brought to the light, being 
69 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

all children of the same Father, no one can 
come fully into his inheritance. 

We who are in the light therefore, have 
doubly the responsibility. 

This is the first lesson on Truth. Love. 




70 



SECOND LESSON ON TRUTH 

When man learns what there is for him 
to do he will find that life has for him a 
very different ontlook. All that he thought 
was of value, if of material nature, will be 
done away with, and he will devote him- 
self to the things of the spirit. 

To teach others the way to eternal joy 
day by day will be of paramount import- 
ance to him. To willingly tell all who ask 
what he has been given is to live the life 
as we would have him. As he teaches his 
thought of what is correct, clarifies and his 
inner dream of being of service to the 
world will be realized. To be able to give 
the water of life to all who are near is to 
be of the greatest worth. 

When man gets an entire comprehension 
of how to live his spiritual life on earth, he 
71 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

will enter the Circles of Truth, and each 
day of endeavor to do his part will take 
him more fully into these Circles. As he 
works and lives the life he should, he will 
begin to be of the Circles of Understand- 
ing, for only in this way can he progress 
from Circle to Circle. To be alive to one 's 
opportunities is to be spiritually alive. To 
shed one's ray of light far into the fog of 
unbelief and materialism, is to be entirely 
of one's Circles. 

To be of the Circles of Truth will take 
will and constant and unremitting effort 
and a pure mind that does not allow itself 
to be contaminated by either material or 
unclean things. To be of these Circles one 
must rise through prayer above all earthly 
desires and passions into the pure ether 
of spiritual love and life. To love fully 
without any thought of self will take will 
and work. To live one's earth life fully, 
doing all that one should there without los- 
ing touch with the higher, spiritual life, 
72 



LESSONS ON TRUTH 

will take will and knowledge, and will also 
require wisdom. 

To be of these Circles means utter and 
complete obedience and also very intense 
concentration, and only when this is ac- 
quired can one do the work necessary to go 
on, for to read and listen without appre- 
hending the deep spiritual significance of 
what one is reading or being told is to fail 
to be of the Circles, and daily and hourly 
prayer for power and understanding is 
necessary to achieve while we are on earth. 

To turn on each occasion, whether joy- 
ful or not, to the wise and loving Father 
is to be of the Circles of Truth. To wait 
when one is uncertain of what to do for the 
inner guiding voice, is to be of the Circles 
of Truth, and, having heard the still small 
voice, to follow it, is to be obedient to our 
guides. 

To live according to all that is best and 
highest in one's nature, to give all that one 
can of one 's knowledge and understanding 
73 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

to illumine the path for others, to work and 
study and learn that others may find the 
way more quickly, to share each new idea 
and thought, looking for the kernel of truth 
therein, and to be of those who gladly give, 
is to be of the Circles of Truth. 

To tell of what we believe and think so 
that others may be started on the same 
quest and to live fearlessly in the light 
given each day, and to witness to that light 
each time that opportunity comes, is to be 
of the Circles of Truth. 

This is the second lesson on Truth. 
Love. 

(In St. John, when they speak of the seed being 
buried in the earth in order to fructify, do they mean 
that the spiritual is buried in our bodies in order to 
develop?) 

" In our earthly life and mind." 

(You mean that the spiritual is buried in our life 
and mind?) 

" Yes." 

(In order to fructify?) 

"Yes, when the mind grasps it, it is shown forth in 
our lives." 

74 



THIED LESSON ON TRUTH 

To turn from the material things of the 
earth and from all worldly pleasures takes 
much will and daily effort. 

To live the life of single-minded desire 
for and utter belief in the things of the 
spirit will only be done by patient and per- 
sistent self-control, and self-control is only 
acquired by daily and hourly exertion of the 
will. There is no royal road to active spir- 
itual life. It can only come as the result 
of a great and overwhelming desire for the 
truth and, when once this desire takes pos- 
session of the mind and soul, the persistent 
effort must follow. 

To be of these Circles is to be very far 
advanced in the way to real life, and the 
further one advances the more will be re- 
quired, for the way is never easy and only 
the strong and determined seekers for light 
75 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

will achieve. The greater the height, the 
harder the struggle for will and knowledge, 
but with the growth of will and knowledge 
comes greater and more satisfying power, 
and each day's progress in self-control 
brings a corresponding development of 
power. To learn how to direct and use this 
power is part of the Circles of Truth. 

The first step is self-control, the next 
concentration, and then how to direct 
thought force. As one progresses from 
Circle to Circle one keeps his place only in 
those where >he has achieved mastery. One 
may make much progress one day only to 
slide back the next, and until complete mas- 
tery is obtained and held, one is not fully 
of that Circle. 

The narrow path is a hard, steep climb 
towards complete freedom and utter joy. 
Happy the one who starts thereon and, 
who having started, will never turn 
back. 

This is the third lesson on Truth. Love. 
76 



LESSONS ON TRUTH 

(Would you tell us something about the Church's 
attitude in this?) 

"The churches have always kept the light of Truth 
before the people, even when they have almost smothered 
it with dogma. Each thing that keeps the light shin- 
ing is a help on the way." 




77 



FOURTH LESSON ON TRUTH 

When the soul so longs for the truth that 
it turns from earthly pleasures to the liv- 
ing water, it will be in the Circles of Truth, 
yet in doing this no earthly duty must be 
neglected, and the only way to do both 
earthly and spiritual duties well is to work 
consciously with our spiritual guides. 

Whenever doubt arises as to what is the 
greater and what the lesser duty, they can 
point the way, and in order to be in this 
close and constant communication one 
must learn how to listen and hear. When 
this is accomplished we will never fail to 
reach through to him who seeks. This 
communication is not easily acquired by 
those who are not born with the faculty of 
clear vision and hearing, and must be 
learned through steady and unremitting 
effort. The power of so concentrating the 
78 



LESSONS ON TRUTH 

mind that it is at once quiet, clear and re- 
ceptive must be practised many times a 
day and must be practised wherever we 
are, even in the midst of a crowd of people, 
for to be able to really concentrate, one 
must learn to withdraw whenever one 
will into one's closet and shut the 
door. 

Only when one has fully acquired this 
power will clear vision come, and one must 
do this without thoughts visibly wander- 
ing from the outside life and one must 
learn to listen well without those outside 
even knowing it is being done, and when 
we can do this we will be in constant and 
close communion with the life of the spirit. 
From this communion we will derive great 
comfort and strength and in this way we 
are guided in our life hour by hour and 
when we trust to this guidance and live the 
life as we are told, no real harm of any 
kind, either worldly or spiritual, can come 
to either us or to those we love and wher- 
79 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

ever we are we are safe in God's love and 
protection. 

As a father careth for his dearly-loved 
child, so God cares for all who love and 
come to Him. All that they need will be 
given without effort on their part and all 
that they are asked to do is to be obedient 
and loving and to help all whom they can 
reach to this new light, for this light is the 
same that has always been given to a 
doubting world by the prophets, and which 
came in the fullest measure through Christ. 

To-day it is being given in full and com- 
plete truth. The world no longer needs to 
be taught in parables but can now compre- 
hend the full truth. All the discoveries of 
science and the knowledge of unknown 
forces have opened men's minds to great 
possibilities, and as they strive for the 
truth, they will learn the laws of which 
they have heretofore been ignorant. The 
discoveries of the past century are small 
compared to what is ahead for mankind. 
80 



LESSONS ON TKUTH 

Work therefore with an open mind and 
a loving heart for all around yon, and be 
a factor in the great work that lies ahead* 

This is the fourth lesson on Truth. 

Love and the peace that passeth under- 
standing and joy beyond belief be with you. 
"We will wait until to-morrow. Love. 



(May I ask a question?) 

"Ask." 

(When you say no harm can come, either worldly or 
spiritual, you do not regard death as a harm, do you?) 

"No, as a blessing — to those who have earned it." 

(Then when you say wherever we are, you mean in 
«*11 the universe?) 

"Yes, of course." 




81 



FIFTH LESSON ON TKUTH 

As man comes more into the truth he will 
learn how to work with the forces which we 
are calling Circles, and as he learns the 
laws by which these forces work, he will 
become of greater and greater power, but 
all roads to achievement mean hard work 
and constant study and effort, and the ac- 
quisition of self-control is of all struggles 
the most difficult. To watch one's mind 
day by day and hour by hour, to be of those 
who guard their tongues while trying in all 
ways to tell all they can to those who desire 
the truth, requires a wisdom that is not 
easily learned. To be as wise as a serpent 
and as harmless as a dove, while willingly 
living the life of the world, will take all 
our effort and endeavor and much time, of 
which we must not be chary. 

To give only of our best to this work is 
82 



LESSONS ON TRUTH 

necessary if we would live to the full limit 
of our powers. When day by day we do 
this with a constant purpose ahead we can- 
not fail, but the purpose to do this work in 
order to help a sad and darkened world 
must never waver. 

To be a help to all in trouble, to bear the 
torch of light and eternal life to those 
blinded by grief, is to testify to the truth 
which we know. To willingly leave our 
own pleasures to bear the burden of others, 
is to testify to this truth. Never to turn 
away from those in sorrow or trouble, 
is to testify to the truth taught by 
Christ. 

To put one's work for God first and 
one's earthly pleasures after and to follow 
the call wherever it may lead, is to be of 
the Circles of Truth. 

To realize that any soul that asks for 
either mental or spiritual help is a suffer- 
ing child to be helped, and to so open one's 
mind and heart that no call, no matter how 
83 



LIFE IN THE CIKCLES 

light, is left unheeded, is to be of the 
Circles of Truth. 

To pray and work joyously while trust- 
ing in God's love and mercy towards each 
wayward child, is to be of the Circles of 
Truth. To tenderly feed the divine spark 
in each one with whom we come in contact 
while not condemning what they do that 
turns them from us, to keep them close to 
us through all sin and suffering, to send 
forth the vibration of love to each human 
soul, no matter how depraved, to be only a 
tender older brother to all who come to you 
for help or advice, to work to the full limit 
of your strength and capacity, only rest- 
ing in the communion with God's spirit, 
and to so live your life that all may have 
access to you whenever they need, is to be 
of the Circles of Truth. 

To sow the seed with a lavish hand, en- 
riching the soil by prayer and by con- 
stant love and wisdom, to take each least 
opportunity to do God's work as a joyous 
84 



LESSONS ON TRUTH 

occasion to do one's best, to greet each 
day fearlessly, rejoicing in its opportuni- 
ties for love and work, is to be of the 
Circles of Truth. 

To look out on the world with a large 
vision, keeping humanity close to one's 
heart in all love, is to be of the Circles of 
Truth. 

To strive each day for higher effort and 
purer purpose, putting away all dross of 
earthly desire, is to be of the Circles of 
Truth. 

To live fully, loving utterly and giving 
all to those who need, is to do one's full 
duty in these Circles. 

This is the fifth lesson on Truth. Love. 




SIXTH LESSON ON TRUTH 

The truth being so full and comprehen- 
sive of so much that is beyond the under- 
standing of the finite mind, one can only 
get bits here and there. 

When man is entirely in these Circles of 
Truth, he will begin to get an inkling of 
further and further steps on the path, and 
each day will open new vistas of work to 
be done and knowledge to be gained. 

The limitless possibilities contained in 
this evolution to further power can only be 
learned step by step as we climb the ladder 
made by our own will and purpose. As our 
mind unfolds, new truth can be appre- 
hended, and as we work each day we make 
new discoveries. To be alert and with a 
mind quickened to spiritual truth, is to be 
of the Circles of Truth. 

To work at all times with a comprehen- 
86 



LESSONS ON TRUTH 

sion of the importance of this work we are 
doing, and to give at all times only our best 
endeavor to do it well, is to be of the 
Circles of Truth. To learn as we work to 
pray for guidance, and to follow that guid- 
ance minute by minute, is to be of the 
Circles of Truth. To hold no truth back 
when the inquirer is ready for it, is to be 
of the Circles of Truth. 

To hold on high the torch we carry to 
illumine all who will draw near, is to be of 
the Circles of Truth. To so live one 's life 
that one's light is never dimmed and that 
one is a signal of help to all who seek, is 
to be of the Circles of Truth, and when one 
has achieved and has done his work in 
these Circles, he has already begun to be 
of the Circles of Understanding. 

This is the sixth lesson on Truth. Love. 



87 



CHAPTER V 
LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 



FIRST LESSON ON UNDER- 
STANDING 

WE are here and we can work to* 
day. 
Love and work and study and 
grow slowly into a fuller comprehension of 
spiritual things. 



As one grows in spiritual understand- 
ing, he lives more and more fully the life 
of the spirit, for without living the life he 
cannot continue to apprehend spiritual 
truth. Until one has purged one's life of 
material desires and passions there is no 
place therein for the things that belong to 
88 



LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 

the life of the spirit. Each time the spirit 
overcomes the fleshly desire, a new under- 
standing is opened, and as one walks day 
by day in this new light one attains a 
deeper degree of spiritual power. 

To be of the world and in the world and 
to follow only the light of the inner spir- 
itual vision, is to be of the Circles of Un- 
derstanding. As one's vision extends and 
one's power increases, one enters more 
fully into these Circles, and to be of these 
Circles is to be very far advanced in the 
spiritual life, and each step onward takes 
us more fully into that life which lies be- 
fore each human soul. 

There is no escape from the law nor any 
escape from the consequences of breaking 
the law. As each one turns to the real life 
of higher spiritual development he will 
realize how much he has to pay for time 
lost and habits formed, for in breaking and 
re-forming habits he again takes more 
time, and in this way each day lost counts 
89 



LIFE IJST THE CIRCLES 

for two at least, and when he willingly 
works as he should he will bitterly regret 
the lost hours. 

To work day by day undoing habits of 
mind and thought carelessly formed while 
doing nothing of value, is a dreary punish- 
ment which will not be overlooked in each 
one's development. And to each one this 
must come sooner or later, and so when 
one once begins to understand, he should 
warn all others of what inevitably lies 
ahead for them. 

When once the path is chosen every help 
will be given by the guides, but each man 
must do his own work and until he does 
and does it well, he cannot progress be- 
yond earthly limits. "When once he has 
learned complete self-control there will be 
no limit to his power either on earth or 
after. All do not try to achieve this and 
all those who do try do not remain stead- 
fast of purpose, but to those who do 
achieve the reward is great beyond belief. 
90 



LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 

In order to really reach one's Circles one 
must first acquire absolute self-control, 
control not only of one 's mind and thought 
but also complete control of one's moods. 
To be able to hold entire serenity of mind 
when battered by outside circumstances, 
requires self-control. To be able to work 
in the right way requires the utmost seren- 
ity and one which no outside elements can 
change. 

To follow the straight and narrow path 
through fog and sunshine while the storms 
of unbelief and falsehood break all about 
us, requires a steady and firm self-control. 
To tread continually in the way of truth 
and to be of those who never falter and 
never fail to help him who asks for light, 
will require both will and wisdom. 

To give the message to each who seeks 
light according to his ability to receive and 
comprehend, requires understanding. To 
be of those in whose hearts God's love and 
sunshine will longingly reach forth to all 
91 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES' 

others outside this knowledge, will require 
a daily and hourly prayer for truth and 
steadfast purpose. To never swerve from 
the path when once you know this light and 
to follow the light wherever it leads, will 
require will and knowledge and under- 
standing. 

To be so in the love and light that you 
refuse to judge or misunderstand others 
while telling all that you can to help them 
on their way, requires understanding. To» 
hold no fellow-man as worthless, winning; 
all that you can to see the truth but think 
ing only of God's work and of how best to 
do it, requires understanding. To teach 
as you walk through life and to be in closo 
harmonious touch with all who believe and 
all who will not listen, requires under- 
standing. To so live and to so control 
yourself that many who would not other- 
wise listen are insensibly led to belief, re- 
quires understanding. To turn from 
earth's pleasures to help some longing soul 
92 



LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 

to a glimmer of the light which you have, 
requires will and understanding. 

To be at the call of all who need and yet 
hold your own life and purpose free, to 
work for the joy of the working, to take no 
thought for the future but to love and to 
trust in God's wisdom that all you need 
will be given you, is to be of the Circles 
of Understanding. 

To work and study and pray, holding on 
high your ray of light to guide yourself 
and others, is to be of the Circles of Under- 
standing to which we are now leading you. 
To be in these inner circles and to remain 
therein will mean continuous hard work, 
for this power can only be maintained by 
constant effort and use. Each day of idle- 
ness atrophies and decreases it, each day 
of work increases and revivifies it. 

To go forth into the highways and by- 
ways to search for the wedding guests is 
to do the work to which you are called, and 
in order to do it well, you must be filled 
93 



LIFE IN THE CIECLES 

with energy and teach all who will listen. 
Each effort adds to your knowledge and 
understanding and each day's work adds to 
your radiance. 

This is the first lesson on Understand- 
ing. Love. 




94 



SECOND LESSON ON UNDER- 
STANDING 

To work intelligently while living the 
life of the world is to be of such perfect 
balance and self-control that only harmony 
exists in the soul, and in order to keep this 
poise and balance one must work with 
utter confidence in the guidance of one's 
Circles. To learn how to reach through 
and to get this guidance and to ask for it 
is to be of the Circles of Understand- 
ing. 

To live so close to the love of God that as 
each demand arises one instinctively turns 
to Him, to live in the consciousness of a 
great and loving power that is there for 
our use and guidance, to turn to that power 
as a child to the smile of his mother, and 
to keep the knowledge of this loving power 
so closely in our hearts and minds that we 
95 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

are always conscious of its presence, is to 
be of the Circles of Understanding. 

To love and study and trust and teach, 
viewing each day solely as another oppor- 
tunity to do better work, is to be of the 
Circles of Understanding. Not to wait for 
the occasion to come to you but to go forth 
wherever God's children are, carrying the 
light to them, is to work to the fullest ex- 
tent of one's power. To win by love all 
those who will not listen though longing 
to be better there on earth, is to work in 
these Circles. To disarm the scoffer by 
gentleness and by the strength and clarity 
of our vision, is to be of these Circles. 

To hold one's light on high that all may 
see what it means to you and yet not lose 
your worldly touch and interest, will carry 
you far into these Circles. To prepare 
those who have not yet this light for the 
coming of a new era through new scien- 
tific discoveries, so that they will be in- 
sensibly led towards further development, 
96 



LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 

is to be of the Circles of Understanding, 
for the discoveries of the last hundred 
years will be as nothing compared to the 
development in the scientific world which 
lies ahead of you. We are standing on the 
brink of a tremendous discovery that will 
revolutionize the world as you know it, 
and each struggle with unknown forces is 
bringing the knowledge of unknown possi- 
bilities more clearly before thinking men. 
The world in its infancy was taught in 
parables but to-day when education is 
within his reach whenever man has the will 
to struggle for it, he is able to hear and 
understand the full truth. To follow the 
law is simple if man sets his heart and 
mind on demanding the truth, for as in the 
past man has found the laws which govern 
nature, so to-day he can find those which 
govern the spiritual world, but the same 
patient and unremitting study must be 
given and, furthermore, he must live the 
spiritual life as he is directed by his guides, 
97 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

for without the actual effort of self-denial 
and self-control man is entirely unable to 
apprehend spiritual truth or to understand 
spiritual laws, and only when he day by day 
concentrates his will and makes the 
struggle against materialism, can he enter 
the path of unlimited power. 

There is no easy road to any deep knowl- 
edge and the knowledge of spiritual laws 
being the highest expression of God's 
power, must be found through careful and 
patient effort. The path is clear to those 
of steadfast purpose but only when they 
work as they are told by their guides. 

To learn to live life as Christ lived His 
is to follow Him, and this wherever we are 
found in the world. To be in the easier 
paths in the world means larger oppor- 
tunities and more responsibility, for wher- 
ever wealth enters • there also selfishness 
enters, and to live the spiritual life while 
carrying the burden of wealth will take 
great power of understanding. 
98 



LESSONS ON UNDEESTANDING 

To live the life as He lived it is to love 
all men under the same sky and in the same 
world that He was. To follow Him is to 
be kind to every living thing and to do all 
that you can for everyone with whom you 
come in contact, and this both materially 
and spiritually, but particularly spir- 
itually. To gaily go forth into the world 
armed with knowledge of God's love, trust- 
ing that He will show us the path which 
He wishes us to follow, is to be of the 
Circles of Understanding. To take each 
experience as it comes as a further oppor- 
tunity to learn more understanding of 
spiritual laws and to so fully make this 
knowledge a part of one's self that it can 
be used and given to each inquiring soul, 
is to be of the Circles of Understanding. 
To learn to work separately as well as in 
complete harmony with each other is to 
belong to these Circles, and each day of 
work therein will bring more fully the 
peace that passeth understanding, and the 
99 



LIFE IN THE CIKCLES 

spiritual radiance of utter joy will be 
yours for all eternity. 

This is the second lesson on Understand- 
ing. Love. 

(May I ask a question— just one of curiosity?) 

" Ask." 

(I want to know whether you make a distinction be- 
tween being luminous and being radiant?) 

"There is the difference between active and passive 
spiritual life." 




100 



THIRD LESSON ON UNDER- 
STANDING 

When man turns to his real work — to 
teach other men the way to God and to 
eternal spiritual life — we will guard him 
from all evil and will guide him on his 
way, but he must co-operate with us by 
the attitude of his mind, and he must 
keep it pure through prayer and he 
must not let any material or selfish 
thought enter through the doorway of his 
mind. 

This control he can only learn through 
the constant and untiring exercise of his 
will and when he once becomes master of 
his will he will begin to be of real spiritual 
power, and only when he is thus master of 
himself can he begin to learn how to use 
the hitherto unknown powers which are 
waiting for him to use and direct them, and 
101 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

in the right use of these powers lie all so- 
called miracles. 

The power of healing was given by 
Christ to His apostles, but the power no 
longer exists to any extent in the world to- 
day. Certain schools of healing have found 
a part of it and have done much good by 
bringing the possibilities of curing home 
to mankind. They develop concentration 
which is necessary, but they do not develop 
the will and utter self-control which are 
equally a part of the power necessary to 
use these forces. 

There are always a few individuals who 
are far ahead of the crowd, partly through 
the inspiration of their guides, either con- 
sciously or unconsciously, and partly 
through the power of a dominant will and 
personality, but the mass of mankind does 
not even dream of the enormous curative 
forces which lie at their very door, and 
which only wait the master hand to call 
them forth to cure all suffering. 
102 



LESSONS ON UNDEKSTANDING 

When these curative powers are learned, 
man can do great good for he can bring 
these powers to bear wherever there is suf- 
fering and so start more souls on the right 
path„ for there is nothing that so quickly 
arrests the attention of men as the power 
to alleviate physical pain. To those whose 
minds are material or logical, this is a 
miracle, and constitutes to them a real 
proof of spiritual power. Therefore to 
have this power and use it wisely is to 
be able to do great work in the king- 
dom. 

The first step is a concentration of 
thought and will by which man pulls down 
into himself this power by which he helps 
one who is suffering, and when his soul is 
charged with this power, he can direct it to 
the other and it will bring relief from all 
pain. This only comes with much practice 
and with hard spiritual concentration and 
it must be a free gift of the soul, given in 
all love and tenderness, for no material 
103 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

consideration can ever enter into these 
powers without lessening their po- 
tency. 

To learn to charge one's self with this 
great energy is to learn to work in the 
spirit in which the apostles worked. To 
learn to carry the energy which heals the 
body and to give the message which heals 
the soul, is to be of the Circles of Under- 
standing, and this can only be done through 
loving, unselfish desire to help mankind, 
and through tremendous concentration of 
will and work. 

When one has learned how to transmute 
all forms of energy into spiritual force, he 
will be on the path to this healing and cura- 
tive power, and there is no other way to 
acquire this power. Whenever the desire 
of the flesh enters in, it must be turned into 
this curative channel, for all such desire is 
creative and must be used for the creation 
of perfect life and health, and the trans- 
mutation comes through the uplifting of 
104 



LESSONS ON UNDEESTANDING 

the soul in prayer and a new sense of clean 
and perfect power. 

One entering into this work will know 
when he is able to cure by the feeling of 
intense power which fills his soul and which 
radiates out from him, and the way to 
acquire and store this energy is to be 
learned by actual work in trying to help 
and heal those who are ill. 

This outpouring of God's energy 
through the will and spirit of one of His 
children is a part of the work that Christ 
sent His apostles to perform. In all ages 
of the world's development there have been 
understanding souls who have done this 
work, but the multitude has forgotten 
these teachings and has lost faith. When 
men turn to the source of this great energy 
and use it as it should be used, they will be 
filled with joy and comfort because of the 
relief they will be able to give. Pain and 
suffering and disease are largely caused 
by the absence of light, and when the heal- 
105 



LIFE IN THE CIKCLES 

ing radium of God's light is let into their 
bodies, they will be cured according to the 
faith of the one helping them. 

No fear can enter in and no sense of 
powerlessness, but the soul and mind must 
be filled with the faith of the centurion 
when he came to Christ. Only when there 
is utter selflessness can the result be 
shown. No thought can enter in but love 
and tenderness and a great unselfish de- 
sire to aid, and this means control of the 
mind, concentration of the will, and an 
abounding love toward all in the world. 
Then and then only can the power be so 
concentrated in the soul that it can be pro- 
jected forth as a healing flame. In pro- 
jecting this healing energy into anyone, it 
must be done with entire and utter faith in 
the result, which will be in accordance with 
one's faith. 

To keep one's body pure that it may be a 
storage battery for this healing energy and 
to so live that there can no evil enter into 
106 



LESSONS ON UNDEKSTANDING 

the forces, is part of the work, and yet in 
doing this, one must live one 's earthly life 
fully and omit no duties imposed by that 
life, nor any obligations which have been 
undertaken in connection with others in the 
world. But these obligations must be car- 
ried out with such complete and utter self- 
control that they do not permit the spir- 
itual light to be dimmed in our minds even 
for a minute. And only when we have at- 
tained this complete control over all desire 
of the flesh and can hold our light in the 
ascendancy at all times, can we begin to be 
of real power. Then the creative energy of 
life flows into us for the use of others, to 
help and heal and to inspire, and in di- 
recting this energy towards another, we 
are to enwrap him in it as in a warm gar- 
ment made of love. 

When this power is felt going forth from 

our minds we can direct it towards another 

and we will be able to cure all his trouble, 

either in mind or body. When men learn 

107 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

what they are to do in the world, they will 
only be sorry that their blindness was snch 
a barrier to their development. Just as 
soon as they turn to God and try to ally 
themselves with His forces, their real 
growth begins, and all their life is filled 
with new meaning and each day opens new 
and more wonderful possibilities. As they 
become more spiritually alive, their whole 
life is quickened, and they are charged with 
a power that intensifies every movement of 
their body and mind. Then and then only 
are they really alive and then their spark 
of spirit glows, and as they follow their 
guides, it bursts forth into a flame which 
carries them far into eternal life. 

All that is needed is the willing desire to 
do as God wishes we should, and when this 
desire is manifest, the Guides can reach 
through and point the way. Whenever the 
guidance is conscious, the work will go 
more quickly and be clearer in power, but 
there are many who get this inspira- 
108 



LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 

tion unconsciously while living in that 
world. 

In all teaching, care must be taken not to 
destroy any faith, but to so add to what 
is there that gradually one is led into the 
truth. Just as a flower unfolds in the sun- 
shine, so a soul should unfold in the rays 
of the love of God. 

This is the third lesson on Understand- 
ing. Love. 




109 



FOURTH LESSON ON UNDER- 
STANDING 

When one turns from the life that is 
filled with only things of the earth to the 
real and living life of the spirit, one is 
amazed at the significance of all the little 
things that seemed so unimportant before. 

No living thing is without its deeper 
meaning — no flower, no bird, no animal but 
has its deeper spiritual significance. They 
all teach the lesson of love and they all are 
a part of development. The pests tell the 
story of hate and malice that must be 
rooted out for man's good, and man must 
eradicate them from his own nature and 
from the earth itself in order to live well 
and safely. There is no physical thing that 
has not its spiritual counterpart, and you 
must search for the hidden meaning in 
order to help all others. 
110 



LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 

To find this deeper spiritual significance 
underneath all physical life and laws is to 
be of the Circles of Understanding, and to 
willingly obey its meaning while we con- 
tinue to live the physical life of the world 
is to be of these Circles. 

To so hold one's self above and outside 
the earth life while apparently being fully 
of it, is to live in the guidance of these 
Circles. To be so closely in sympathy with 
all with whom you come in contact that 
they naturally turn to you for guidance on 
the path, is to be of the Circles of Sym- 
pathy into which the Circles of Under- 
standing naturally lead. When man is thus 
in his Circles, he is helped in every way 
to obtain greater and greater power. 
Through their guidance he can attain 
heights of self-control and power that 
transcend his present understanding, but 
he can only do this when he is utterly 
obedient and when he is able to follow their 
instructions each day of his life. 
Ill 



LIFE IN THE CIECLES 

When he can live as they tell him he 
ought to live there on earth, he will be very 
far advanced in spiritual life, and each 
achievement over self and earthly desires 
will take him further on his way, but his 
sympathy and tenderness for those who 
have not this light must be greater and 
greater as his power grows. 

To willingly turn to God on each oc- 
casion, either joyous or bitter, to purify 
your heart with prayer, to joyously arise 
and with no doubt in your heart continue 
your earth task to the end, is to be of the 
Circles of Understanding. 

To turn to the light of God's tender love 
as a flower turns to the sunlight is to work 
as He would have you. 

To struggle and pray and be a mes- 
senger of light in the darkness of unbelief 
and doubt, is to do all that He asks. 

A stout heart, a fearless mind, and a 
prayerful attitude towards the great Giver 
of all good, is to be of the Circles of Under- 
112 



LESSONS ON UNDEKSTANDING 

standing, which will lead you step by step 
into the heart of God's kingdom. 

This is the fourth lesson on Understand- 
ing. Love. 




113 



FIFTH LESSON ON UNDEK- 
STANDING 

When once the light of spiritual under- 
standing is clearly held in the mind and 
heart, the whole outlook on life is changed. 
The one thing that will really matter is the 
spreading of this truth, for when one has 
it to live by one needs no other help of any 
kind. All lesser things fall into their rela- 
tive places and are part of the non-essen- 
tials of life as we live it, and only when one 
can realize this is one fully of these Circles, 
and yet this attitude of mind must broaden 
rather than lessen our sympathy for those 
who have not this light. 

They need special tenderness because 
they are lost children who cannot find the 
way and are groping in the dark and do not 
walk where they should. All that love and 
tenderness can do must be done, but again 
114 



LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 

without losing one's own light and stand- 
point. Only by love can they be brought 
into the way of truth and only by love can 
their fears be cast out and their eyes be 
opened. Love is the great healer, the great 
purifier on earth and here and throughout 
all of God's universe, and the more per- 
fectly one's life is lived in the light of love, 
the nearer one comes to the Christ spirit. 

To live in the world day by day, taking 
one's place amidst all the gaieties and fol- 
lies of worldly life, and keeping one 's own 
inner light undimmed by materialism, is 
to be of the Circles of Understanding. 
There to hold one's faith untarnished, to 
give the light to all who will listen and 
to be so full of understanding and sym- 
pathy that all are attracted and none sent 
away without some glimmer of the light, is 
to work as one should. 

To work and pray and follow one's 
guides day by day in this work for human- 
ity, is to be of these Circles. To be humble 
115 



LIFE IN THE CIBCLES 

and loving and utterly trustful and to live 
only the life of the higher, inner self and 
yet not to lose touch with the most frivo- 
lous and unthinking, is to be of the Circle 
of Understanding. 

To so live that one is never suspected of 
feeling one's self apart, is to be of these 
Circles. To carry this inner radiance into 
the lives of all those who only see gaiety 
therein, and to so love each one that he is 
enfolded and revivified by this light and 
radiance of love, is to be of these Circles. 
To be always in this light of love, and to 
trust absolutely that only good can come 
through God's love for you, is to be of 
these Circles. 

To turn to Him in all perplexities and to 
trust to His guidance, is to be of those who 
are well into the Circles of Understand- 
ing. To live each day to the full, taking no 
thought for the future, and to know that 
the wise path will be open for you to fol- 
low, is to be of the Circles of Understand- 
116 



LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 

ing. To love and work and fully trust in 
the guidance of the guides sent to each one 
on earth, is to work in perfect sympathy 
with one's Circles. To push away all out- 
side uncertainty and go serenely on one's 
way, is to be of the Circles of Under- 
standing. 

Through one's will and self-control to 
allow no element of disbelief or doubt 
about the course one is following under 
this guidance, to strive to live the life as 
you know it should be lived and to continue 
unfalteringly in this path without fear or 
doubt of any kind, is to be fully of these 
Circles. 

To lift one's spirit up by a steady and 
determined effort of the will, so that the 
turmoil of earthly things cannot disturb 
one's serenity of soul, is to be in these 
Circles, and, walking thus day by day, to 
never let one's light be obscured by the 
shadow thrown by materialism, is to work 
in the full light of God's love and abound- 
117 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

ing mercy to His children, and only when 
we reach this point in our development can 
we go further on the great path that is 
open to each one who follows the light and 
who only wishes to be an obedient child of 
God. 

For when in the light of God's love and 
approval, all things are added that one 
could possibly need, and only when they 
are not used wisely and selfishness enters 
into the heart, will these earthly gifts be 
withdrawn. 

Before man can be entirely in these 
Circles, he must have conquered self and 
be of outward radiance of mind, so that all 
seeing him are conscious of the power and 
health that are evidences of perfect har- 
mony of spiritual life. Perfect harmony 
means new health and more intense vitality 
and more concentrated and radiant life. 
Perfect harmony means love and a concen- 
trated effort to do God's work in the world, 
and is only found when one is of these or 
118 



LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 

of higher Circles. For until one can sus- 
tain through all trials complete serenity of 
soul, one is not fully of these Circles. 

To be of any Circle day after day, one 
must find and hold full spiritual suprem- 
acy in the work of that Circle, and this 
can only be done through complete self- 
mastery and constant effort of the will, for 
until one has completely learned the lesson 
of the Circle of the Will, one is not of any 
other Circle, though one may know much 
of them all through study and work, for 
each is complete in itself though each is in- 
terlacing and encircling all others, and 
until one is master of the first, he cannot 
fully enter into the second. 

Therefore to develop fully, one must be- 
come master of himself and of every 
thought and mood, and until he thus be- 
comes a Master of the Will, he does not 
fully enter into the Circles of Knowl- 
edge. 

The foundation stones of spiritual life 
119 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

are laid there, and until they are well laid, 
no further progress is possible. 

This is the fifth lesson on Understanding. 
Love. 




120 



SIXTH LESSON ON UNDER- 
STANDING 

In the spiritual life no step forward can 
be taken until the foot finds a firm founda- 
tion in the work already accomplished, and 
only when that step is firmly grounded in 
actual life itself, can it be carried forward 
into further progress. 

There is no halfway road to spiritual 
achievement — all must really and fully go 
forward each day in order to advance, and 
a day without work done is more than a 
day lost, because each day that one does 
not actually advance means a slipping back 
towards material things, and each, step 
forward in spiritual life means a corre- 
sponding decrease of material ties that are 
only of earthly nature. 

To seek only the things in which the 
spirit is manifest is to be detached from 
materialism. To live in the light of love 
121 



LIFE IN THE CIKCLES 

and truth is to be of the spirit, and to be 
strong and fearless in the light is to be 
of the Circles of Understanding, and the 
spirit of real understanding puts us in the 
closest and truest sympathy with each one 
near us, because only in this light can all 
the possibilities of the soul develop. Just 
as a plant cannot fully develop without 
sunshine, so the human soul cannot come 
to its full stature without the sunshine of 
spiritual love radiating from God, and this 
love can only light the soul that is open to 
it through willingness to work and to fol- 
low those who teach under the inspiration 
of their guides. 

Whenever one turns to the guides that 
are around him, they will aid him in every 
way in their power to follow this light, and 
though he may not be conscious of their 
guidance, it cannot fail to help and protect 
him in every way. Those who work with 
us consciously can go further there on 
earth because they are not so completely 
122 



LESSONS ON UNDERSTANDING 

in the dark as to where they are going, and 
also they have the constant stimulus of 
our criticism on their daily life, for criti- 
cism, like the banks of a stream, keeps the 
water in its proper channel, and in so do- 
ing, deepens the stream itself. 

To live in the sunshine of God's love, to 
work to the full limit of one's capacity, 
joyfully living the life as one can by those 
teachings, is to be of the Circles of Under- 
standing, and each day of work in these 
Circles brings one nearer to the greater 
Circles of Sympathy and Love. 

To live in the light of God's love and by 
the help of the Circles, one must never fail 
to start afresh after one has stumbled. 
"Whenever one falls one must pick one's 
self up quickly and go on. There must be 
no time lost in futile regrets but a new 
purpose not to fail again, and a new and 
stronger effort of the will. Only in this 
way can real accomplishment come and 
only in this way can real strength of will 
123 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

be built. To live in this light and never 
let go the sense of the love and power pro- 
tecting you always, and guiding each step, 
is to be of the Circles of Understanding. 

To joyfully, gaily take the pleasures He 
gives you and to work for His kingdom as 
you go your daily round, is to be of the 
Circles of Understanding. 

To count no task hard that gives you tt 
fuller understanding of life or a keener 
sympathy with your fellow-men, is to be of 
the Circles of Understanding. 

To leave no stone unturned to help 
others, no task undone that may start some- 
one on this wonderful and happy path to 
eternal life and joy, and to do one's part 
fearlessly with indifference to misunder- 
standing or criticism, is to be of the Circle*/ 
of Understanding, and as one treads thiw 
joyful path, one is led step by step into 
the Circles of Sympathy. 

This is the sixth lesson on Understand- 
ing, Love, 

124: 



CHAPTER VI 
LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

FIRST LESSON ON SYMPATHY 

WHEN one enters the Circles of 
Sympathy one is less stern of 
judgment and less sure of what 
constitutes right and wrong. Not that one 
is less severe in what one imposes on one's 
self, but one refuses to judge the actions 
of another as one ordinarily does. To 
judge according to the least intention of 
wrong-doing and the best effort of well- 
doing is beyond the human judgment. And 
as one progresses in this work one learns 
the limitations of sound judgment where 
the intentions and motives of another are 
concerned, for, not knowing the secrets of 
125 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

his heart nor the real environment, one can- 
not tell the driving force that governs his 
actions. For the law of cause and effect 
governs both the mental and physical, and 
only the spiritual can dominate and modify 
it as one goes through life and learns his 
lesson of love and obedience, and so, until 
one can tell how much the spark of spirit 
glows, one can never know just what may 
be another's real condition of mind and 
soul. 

For a man to try to see spiritual truth 
while his spark of spirit lies dormant is 
like a physically blind man trying to see 
form and color. Only as the spark is 
fanned by work and prayer into a flame can 
the real apprehension of spiritual truth be 
obtained. To work in the sunshine of 
God's love, watering the seed of truth with 
prayer until it sprouts and lives in the 
heart and daily life, is to be of the Circles 
of Understanding, and to carry this sun- 
shine into the lives of all near you who are 
126 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

struggling under the burden of unbelief 
and doubt, is to be of the Circles of Sym- 
pathy. For no truth is fully yours until it 
has been shared with others and has grown 
in this way into a part of your daily life. 
Only then is it so assimilated by the mind 
and soul that it can be entirely absorbed 
by the radiance of the spirit, and as man 
becomes more and more selfless his radi- 
ance can be more and more clearly seen by 
us, and in this way we are able to judge of 
his spiritual progress. 

To be selfless does not imply a loss of 
personality. On the contrary it raises per- 
sonality to the Nth degree, but it means 
that one is able to entirely submerge the 
ego and is utterly willing to sacrifice in 
order to help others— to sacrifice time, 
strength, and pleasure to those who have 
not found the way to eternal life. 

To know that all of life and joy is there 
for you while others have no chance to 
share therein if you neglect your work, is 
127 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

to be of the Circles of Sympathy. To work 
wherever your place is in life because you 
are everywhere surrounded by God's chil- 
dren, is to be of the Circles of Knowledge, 
and to work in every way you can to help 
each one who is near you, is to be of the 
Circles of Sympathy. Eich or poor, young 
or old, all are on the same search, and the 
pity of it is that so few find the simple 
straight road that lies so clearly ahead of 
each obedient child. To point the path, to 
raise the fallen to a sense of self-respect, 
to live gladly each day of service to hu- 
manity, this is the work of one in the 
Circles of Sympathy. 

Nothing so utterly cuts away the self- 
respect of the soul as materialism. No 
physical sin is as dangerous as a love of 
money or things. Whoever will not share 
all that he has with his brother is outside 
the pale of spiritual life for as long as he 
has that selfishness in his soul, and this 
applies equally to material, intellectual 
128 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

and spiritual life, but the foundation 
stones are laid in material life, for that 
is the first place where we gain knowledge. 

When man has learned how to share he 
will have acquired much wisdom. To 
share in the way that will help without 
spoiling will take much thought and a real 
sympathy. It is easy to give but it is dif- 
ficult to so give that the gift will not hurt 
the one who receives, and this can only be 
done by wise and prayerful thought. 

To hold all material things as a trust 
from your loving Father to be used to help 
all with whom you come in contact, is to be 
of the Circles of Sympathy. To hold all 
intellectual achievements as a means of 
stimulating and interesting others, is to be 
of the Circles of Sympathy. And over and 
above all to keep one's spiritual light as a 
source of comfort and joy to others, is to 
be of the Circles of Sympathy. 

When man has learned that the real joy 
of life is in sharing all that he has with 
129 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

others, we will be able to teach him as we 
desire. To be able to work as one should 
in the, world one must have spiritual guid- 
ance, and those who turn away from this 
teaching and scoff: at spirits are only turn- 
ing their backs on the living truth that 
would give them much happiness there and 
later here. To-day man is sufficiently de- 
veloped to know the full truth which has 
always been known to the initiates since 
man began his life on earth, and when he 
learns the real value of this work that he 
is meant to do, he will wish that he had 
been more open-minded. To know that 
only his own stupidity and his desire for 
the material things of life on earth have 
stood between him and the wonderful ad- 
vantages God meant for him, will be a 
great blow to his vanity. 

To realize that he was given every op- 
portunity over and over again and that he 
deliberately shut his eyes to the chances he 
was given, will be a revelation to him of his 
130 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

exceeding blindness. To know that day by- 
day he turned his back on the great things 
of life for things of no real importance, 
will show him of how little worth and judg- 
ment he really is, and yet, in spite of the 
fact that he is of little value, all things 
great are designed for him and for his 
pleasure by his loving Father, and all that 
is asked in return is that he should follow 
his higher nature and willingly turn to the 
Father of all and try to do His will there 
on earth. When he begins to understand 
this and to work with his full strength, fol- 
lowing the light that is shown, he will be 
of the Circles of Sympathy, and when he is 
once fully of these Circles, he will be alive 
to the great need of awakening all those 
who sleep. 

Even if he only arrests their attention 
for a moment, the seed is sown, and even if 
they sink back into indifference and sleep, 
they have gone one step in the right direc- 
tion, so no effort is lost which does not 
131 



LIFE IN THE CIKCLES 

antagonize. Knowing the tremendous im- 
portance of this truth to every living soul, 
those who are of the Circles of Sympathy- 
give their best effort to helping each one 
who needs help in any way. No one can 
tell the result of what he does, for when 
he gives material help he often opens the 
doors to further and spiritual help after- 
wards. 

To always be on the watch for wise op- 
portunities to sow that seed which will be 
of greatest benefit to those who struggle 
there on earth, is to be of the Circles of 
Sympathy. 

This is the first lesson on Sympathy. 
Love. 




132 



SECOND LESSON ON SYMPATHY 

To be of those who are in the world 
with all their heart and with all their sym- 
pathy and yet are able to hold their own 
spiritual light, means work and study and 
learning self-control, for only in this way 
can one hold one's sympathy through fri- 
volity, weakness and even degradation. 

To look through the outside covering, 
whatever it may be, for the spark of the 
spirit, and to try to fan it into actual flame, 
and to feel that no human being no matter 
how apparently worthless, is to be allowed 
to die without an effort being made to 
arouse him to his real place in God's plan 
for each one to whom He has given life and 
power forever, is to be of these Circles. 

Life and power are indestructible and 
can never be obliterated. They emanate 
directly from God and must be as He is 
133 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

eternal. But as in His wisdom God has 
given complete freedom to man to decide 
the use he chooses to make of his powers, 
so he can turn them from constructive 
to destructive forces. When man goes 
on the wrong path, he transforms the 
energy that has been given him into energy 
that can be used against the powers for 
good, and, as we have explained before in 
these teachings, all energy must come to 
the light, that is, come under God's spir- 
itual laws as obedient forces, and here is 
the reason for the tremendous importance 
of man's life on earth. 

If he refuses to learn the lesson for 
which he was made, the lesson of loving 
obedience to His Creator, he must return 
to earth again in order to try again to 
learn it. Each time he returns he will be 
of less value until he either achieves com- 
plete victory over his lower nature or until 
he has proved himself utterly worthless. 
Each time he returns his spiritual power is 
134 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

lessened and he belongs to less powerful 
forces, and he can only regain his power 
by supreme effort and tremendous self- 
sacrifice. Therefore it is most important 
to his future that man should not waste 
time in learning obedience or risk diminu- 
tion of power by having to return again 
to learn that lesson. Those who are of the 
Circles of Sympathy will be alive to this 
danger for each one of their fellow-men, 
and will spare no effort to make them re- 
alize this penalty of lost time. 

To be of these Circles we must keep 
very close to the hearts of all with whom 
we come in contact. No least antagonism 
must ever be allowed to enter and no time 
must be wasted in following the things of 
the lower nature that only antagonize, and 
all of life must be an effort to learn the 
lesson of understanding love. 

To be of these Circles of Sympathy no 
petty animosity nor trivial hurt feeling 
may enter in. Nothing done to you by 
135 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

another must disturb your serenity of soul 
nor the love borne for that individual. 
Complete detachment from thought of self 
and complete understanding and sympathy 
with the frailties of those who have not 
yet this inner light, must be in your soul 
and mind at all times. 

To do one's work daily in this spirit is 
to be fully in one 's Circles. 

This is the second lesson on Sympathy. 
Love. 




136 



THIRD LESSON ON SYMPATHY 

When man lives in close sympathy with 
all about him, and when he has so learned 
self-control that at all times and under all 
circumstances he can be master of himself 
and his moods, he will be of great power, 
and each day that he practises this control 
adds to his power. As he works among 
those who seek the light he will be able to 
give more and more fully of the truth he 
is learning, and each day's progress will 
teach him more of these spiritual laws. 

Only through his wisdom and his appre- 
hension of this spiritual light can he learn 
how to transform physical energy into 
spiritual power, and when through his 
hard and constant effort he has learned 
how to do this, he will begin to be of those 
Circles of healing and love which we call 
the Circles of Love. 

i37i : 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

But before he can be really of full power 
he must learn how to be master of each one 
of the other and earlier Circles, and until 
he is complete master of Will, he cannot 
be fully of the Circle of Knowledge. This 
however does not prevent his knowledge 
of the work of these other Circles nor 
his participation in that work, and all 
the work that he does himself adds 
to his power to comprehend the full 
truth. 

As his comprehension deepens his radi- 
ance grows and his power of understand- 
ing will become more acute, and as this 
spiritual power increases he will be more 
and more fully in the light. Physical 
power is acted on and often weakened by 
the light rays, but spiritual power is 
always strengthened by the light. To be 
of this power one must be consciously 
guided by spiritual guides. Only through 
their instruction can it grow in intensity, 
for only through their guidance can it be 
138 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

so wisely used that it is not dissipated by 
the use made of it. 

All spiritual power is given for work in 
God's world, to be used in helping others 
and in showing the way to the light and 
love of God. It can only be wisely used 
in this work, for if otherwise used it be- 
comes destructive force, and this is what 
the story of Satan tells. 

To have been of the great spiritual 
powers and to have fallen from all power 
to be only of the destructive forces of the 
universe, knowing that ultimate defeat lies 
before them and therefore struggling with 
desperate energy to delay the inevitable 
end, is the story of all who ally themselves 
with evil powers, and Lucifer or Satan, 
who was the greatest of the angels, is truly 
the leader of these forces of darkness. 

All the periods of spiritual development 

have been succeeded by waves of unbelief 

in the truth of the teachings, and one after 

another of the true stories, given by in- 

139 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

spiration to men, have been discarded as 
figments of their fancy. Man in the arro- 
gance of his little knowledge really thinks 
he could have planned a better universe 
and pushes aside all evidence that does not 
suit his belief of the moment for the world 
as he conceives it, and so he has discarded 
many bits of truth which would be guides 
to him in his search for knowledge if he 
were not so blinded by material things. As 
his eyes open to the real truth he will go 
back and pick up many of these bits to 
make up his whole belief in the things that 
have been given by inspiration, and each 
day will add to his knowledge of God's 
exceeding wisdom which has been evi- 
denced in the freedom He has given to 
man. 

To have created a universe that was free 
from struggle would have been to have 
made puppets without character, for only 
by struggle and effort can character be 
built on earth, and to man is given the op- 
140 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

portunity to ally himself with powers that 
are limitless in their work for creation, but 
he must, in order to so ally himself, will- 
ingly turn to God, ready to obediently fol- 
low wherever the guides point the way, and 
only when he consciously works with his 
guides can he be sure of that way. Then 
he can make no mistake in his path through 
following his own inclination or what 
others desire for him. 

Yet these guides, though they are always 
ready to help when man's heart is open to 
them, will not interfere with his daily life 
and struggle, because that experience is 
for his development, and through this daily 
and hourly struggle his power will grow. 
But as he turns to God in prayer, strength 
and wisdom are given him and more and 
more light comes into his life, and this light 
leads him into the path of that peace which 
passeth understanding. 

This is the third lesson on Sympathy. 
Love. 

141 



FOURTH LESSON ON SYMPATHY 

All truth that the wisest and most 
learned of men can acquire on earth is only 
the beginning of knowledge. Life goes on 
for all eternity and all of life is a develop- 
ment of power of mind and heart (and 
spirit. 

Just as the alphabet is the beginning of 
learning to read, so the beginning of spir- 
itual power is shown in the willingness to 
turn to God and follow what He wills, and 
this can only be done by each one for him- 
self and constitutes man's free gift of him- 
self to His Father. As long as he thus 
freely gives himself his spirit grows and 
all possibilities lie open before him, and 
this open door to all power can never be 
closed except by his own desire. Only 
when his spirit becomes arrogant and no 
longer obedient will he lose his guides, and 
142 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

there is never any time when he cannot 
turn again of his own will to God. But 
as this knowledge grows, the knowledge of 
the importance of his work grows too, and 
the effect of disobedience will be more 
clearly seen. Therefore his punishment 
for that disobedience will be the greater. 

To deliberately choose to be of the evil 
powers who can never know real happi- 
ness is hardly conceivable, yet this may 
happen to one whose foundation is not 
built on humbleness of spirit and a real 
obedience. Therefore to purge one's heart 
and spirit of all arrogance is one of the 
first steps to complete success. No elation 
over the power gained must be allowed 
one's self, only happiness in the privi- 
lege of being allowed to do this work. 

To keep this attitude of mind in all times 
and under all conditions whether of good 
or evil appearance, judged from the stand- 
point of those who judge with earthly 
judgment, takes self-control. To feel no 
143 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

whit superior to those who have not this 
light from lack of opportunity or from 
other reasons, will take all that one has of 
self-control and modesty of spirit. Each 
time a feeling of elation at one's own light 
enters, one's light is dimmed. Only the 
elation that comes from having helped an- 
other can be allowed, and that is rather the 
happiness of being privileged to do this 
work. 

To so work that day after day one can 
point to one helped there and another here, 
while each day brings new understanding 
of spiritual laws, is to be of the Circles of 
Sympathy, and as sympathy grows and 
love develops more and more, one's spirit 
becomes that of a little child who knows 
that all good comes to him from the father 
who loves and guards him, for until the 
flower of divine love blossoms in the heart 
which has become as the heart of a happy, 
loving little child, one cannot fully enter 
into the Kingdom of Heaven. 
144 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY! 

Utter selflessness, entire sympathy, per- 
fect love is the sum of human perfection to 
which we must aspire, and only when we 
have started on this path do we begin to 
come into our rightful inheritance. Then 
our sympathy goes out to all in the world, 
no matter what or where, and in the ex- 
pression of that sympathy we take our full 
place in these Circles. When no one is too 
degraded and no one too lowly to enter 
into our hearts, then we are of the Circles 
of Sympathy. 

This is the fourth lesson on Sympathy. 
Love. 




145 



FIFTH LESSON ON SYMPATHY 

When man turns with his whole heart 
and mind to doing God's work in the world, 
he will find new avennes of activity on 
every side. Everywhere he can learn new 
spiritual truths for which before he had no 
vision and everywhere he will find those 
who need help to start on the way while 
they are yet in the world. 

To be responsible for the failure of an- 
other to do his part because you failed to 
give him that light which you hold for him, 
is a great responsibility. When you see 
the mistakes and failures which are due to 
your negligence, you will be appalled at the 
many opportunities which you have failed 
to seize. Not that your mistakes can make 
the lives of others not worth while, but 
that your mistakes may delay them there 
on earth since you are the guardian of 
146 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

God's light for those with whom you come 
in contact. When you fail to share and 
diffuse that light you fail not only in your 
duty to God but also in your duty to your 
brother and, most of all, to yourself, for 
sympathy would always share and help 
and when sympathy does not enter in there 
must be selfishness, and selfishness is a 
deadly sin. 

There is no such thing as a vacuum 
in nature and the way to get rid of evil 
is to cultivate good, for two forces can- 
not occupy the same space at the same 
time. 

Those of the Circles of Sympathy are 
always watching for the chance to help and 
are never blind to suffering. As their light 
grows their understanding of humanity 
grows, and the intuition by which they read 
men's hearts develops, and they are able to 
see things to which others are utterly 
blind. 

Only to those whose spiritual under- 
147 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

standing is of a high order will the light 
be given, and through this ability to read 
men's hearts they will be able to help as 
they could in no wise do without this 
power, and only when they have this power 
are they fully in the Circles of Sympathy, 
and only when all selfishness is eradicated 
from their hearts can they have this power 
to its full extent. 

To gain complete control of their will 
they must carefully watch each word and 
every thought, and only in this way can 
they reach to spiritual heights in strength 
of purpose. Yet the reward is so far be- 
yond man's conception that there is no 
compensation for its loss. Each victory 
gained over self brings more strength 
for the next step and firmer purpose, 
while each failure brings weakened 
wiU. 

Every day, every hour, every minute 
counts, and the great victory is to the 
steadfast of purpose. Carry your light on 
148 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

high and work steadily, praying con- 
stantly, and fail not ! 

This is the fifth lesson on Sympathy. 
Love. 




149 



SIXTH LESSON ON SYMPATHY 

To fail to work while on earth is to fail 
to be of one's Circles and that is to fail 
to be of full power on earth and after. As 
lost time is never completely made up, so 
lost opportunity brings the sad punish- 
ment of lessened spiritual power and of a 
lower degree in the Circles to which one 
belongs. Only when one fully grasps one 's 
inner light and works to the best of one's 
ability there on earth can he continue in 
the Circles to which he was born. 

As his spirit is a spark of (rod's spirit 
and as his body is a product of his father 
and his mother, so his soul is the result of 
the fusion of their moral qualities, but 
though these qualities may place him high 
in the Circles, he can only maintain that 
place by his own effort. 

Study, work, steadfast purpose, and liv- 
150 



LESSONS ON SYMPATHY 

ing the life on earth that can be lived ac- 
cording to God's laws, are necessary to 
keep his place, and only when he does this 
will he fully enter into the Circles which 
are his heritage. To each one is given this 
opportunity time after time, though many 
are not aware of the significance of their 
choice, but the choice is always given over 
and over again, and the door of spiritual 
life stands open for all who will even peep 
therein. 

To realize this and to work to the limit 
of one 's strength that others may reap the 
benefit of one's work is to be of the Circles 
of Sympathy. To desire the spiritual life 
for everyone around us that they may 
enter into their full heritage, is to be of the 
Circles of Sympathy. To leave no stone 
unturned that will waken them to the 
great meaning of life, and no sacrifice of 
time or strength unmade which will help 
them, is to be of the Circles of Sympathy, 
and when one is fully of these Circles, 
151 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

one's heart is filled with the great love of 
all mankind that carries one into the 
Circles of Love. 

This is the sixth lesson on Sympathy. 
Love. 




152 



CHAPTER VII 
LESSONS ON LOVE 

FIRST LESSON ON LOVE 

TO enter these last and greatest 
Circles is to be of really unlimited 
power, for before one is fully in these 
Circles he must be a master of all the 
others and of entire self-control, filled with 
love for all mankind and completely de- 
tached from all materialism and from all 
selfishness. Only when the soul has at- 
tained to the greatest heights of earthly 
love and self-denial can it walk in the light 
of these Circles, and to that soul nothing 
is impossible. 

All of the life of the spirit is open to 
it and all the light of knowledge and under- 
153 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

standing. Not many achieve to this degree 
but those who do are utterly happy, be- 
cause to them is revealed the eternal truth 
and they know and have faith in the ulti- 
mate end. To them the dark places are 
filled with light and to them the little 
shadows are full of benefit as gentle disci- 
pline. 

To these happy souls the change from 
earthly to spiritual life is but a step and a 
joyous freedom from the heavy weight of 
materialism. As a child goes happily 
through school, they go happily through 
the school of earthly life. Each day's work 
well done is one step further on the way 
and each step brings clearer understand- 
ing. 

To walk through life gently, filled with 
love and kindness, bearing a lighted torch 
for all to see and for all to light theirs by, 
is a well-lived life, and, simple as it seems, 
there are few who so live. Yet this is the 
life lived by Christ and the example we are 
154 



LESSONS ON LOVE 

told to follow, and this is the life of the 
Kingdom. 

To have a few much-loved friends, to live 
simply with an open heart to all who seek 
light, and to be always ready to help each 
one who asks for help, is to live the life 
of the spirit. 

To be gentle, to be kind to all, to be a 
living example of the faith you try to live 
by, will take you far into the Circles of 
Love. 

This is the first lesson on Love. Love. 




155 



SECOND LESSON ON LOVE 

The supreme height of love that can be 
reached on earth was attained by Christ 
and, through His knowledge of spiritual 
laws, He worked the miracles that to-day 
science is trying to ignore or explain away. 
These miracles were all done according to 
laws, for God does not break His laws, but 
spiritual laws transcend physical laws and 
can in this way work what the unknowing 
call miracles, and this has been done at all 
times and in all ages since man has in- 
habited the earth. 

There have always been those initiates 
who knew and could work with these laws, 
and in this way much knowledge has been 
handed down from one to another. When 
the ages have given up their secrets it will 
be found that the light of spiritual knowl- 
edge has always been aglow for those who 
156 



LESSONS ON LOVE 

sought to find, and that no one has truly 
sought in vain. Always this light is given 
in some way or another if he who seeks is 
in earnest and has a humble and obedient 
spirit. 

Little by little his knowledge and under- 
standing will grow until his whole idea of 
life will change, and a new and construc- 
tive plan will take the place of what seemed 
to him a meaningless jumble, and as his 
ideas change his life itself must change 
also and conform to those laws which he 
begins to dimly apprehend. 

Not that he should change his mode of 
life or his place therein or his friends, but 
that now, with this light in his spirit, he 
can give more fully that sympathy and love 
which bring him into close relationship 
with all who are near him. As the range 
of his sympathy enlarges the circle of his 
influence is increased, and as he sheds his 
light he illumines all about him, and so his 
work is done. 

157 



LIFE IN THE CIKCLES 

To work in this way day after day is to 
be of those powers who work for God. It 
is living up to the highest possibilities one 
can and it is preparing one's self for 
further development, for all of life is a 
constant development if one obeys those 
laws to which he is subject. All do not 
work consciously in the right direction but 
all do not achieve success, and those who 
do work consciously are laying foundations 
that will surprise them when they become 
aware of the importance of life there and 
here, and the greatest of all foundation 
stones is love. 

All spiritual life is founded thereon and 
all development must come through love. 
Without love there can be no spiritual life 
and without love there can be no real prog- 
ress. Only as one cultivates and develops 
this spiritual quality can one really grow, 
and the more perfect the love the more 
completely one is free from selfishness. 
Filled with love, the spirit blossoms like a 
158 



LESSONS ON LOVE 

lovely flower full of perfume and giving 
delight to all who come near. Without 
love, it lives and dies and no one cares or 
is the poorer for its passing. 

Love is like a ray of sunshine which 
warms and cheers each one whom it 
touches. Love is like a magical wand 
which can transmute all baser metals into 
the pure gold of spirit. Love can never be 
bought or sold. Love is of all emotions 
the most divine and the most perfect ex- 
pression of God. 

This is the second lesson on Love. Love. 




159 



THIRD LESSON ON LOVE 

As man begins to develop as he is in- 
tended to develop on earth, he expresses 
more and more perfectly the divine attri- 
butes. Being made in the image of God, 
he will be expected to attain to his full 
stature as he develops under His laws, and 
until he comes into full perfection he will 
not be fully developed. 

Christ came as an example of what can 
be achieved on earth if one will work with 
one's spiritual guides. But development 
does not end with earth life nor can per- 
fection be attained there. Even we who 
have gone many steps beyond you have no 
conception of the ultimate end, but as we 
see the wonderful development of our 
teachers, we have some idea of where we 
are going, and as our ideals rise our 
160 



LESSONS ON LOVE 

struggles to attain become more steadfast 
and persistent. 

Once the foundations are securely laid 
the work grows in importance and in joy 
and sympathy. But even here our 
struggles are by no means over. The road 
to perfection is a long hard struggle, but 
our life can be filled with joy by following 
our guides instead of trying to fight on in 
the darkness alone, and he who works with 
joy will accomplish far more for himself 
and all about him than he who strives no 
matter how hard, with a stern and set face. 

To be joyous, to be gay, to be loving and 
without thought of self brings a great re- 
ward. To lighten the gloomy places and to 
pour love and sunshine into the dark spots 
is to do one's duty fully. As the differ- 
ence between a bright and sunshiny day 
and a dark and gloomy one, so is the dif- 
ference between a joyous and a sad spirit. 

To walk erect in God's sunshine with joy 
and love filling one's heart and soul is to 
161 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

be of the Circles of Love, but the founda- 
tion stones of these Circles must be laid 
in the Circles of Will, where perfect self- 
control brings serenity of spirit which no 
materialism can disturb. 

Strive, study, work and love to the ut- 
most of your ability, and be of these radi- 
ant Circles who wait eagerly for you. 

This is the third lesson on Love. Love. 




162 



FOTJETH LESSON ON LOVE 

As one lifts one's spirit towards the 
things of the spirit which alone give life to 
all material things, one comes into a new 
relationship with life. Gradually a new 
apprehension of the spiritual meaning will 
fill one's life and soul, and constructive 
action allying one's self to one's spiritual 
guides will taEe the place of the old pur- 
poseless life. 

When we realize that every action has a 
spiritual and deep significance, if we live 
as we should, we will carefully guard that 
action and see that it has the right signifi- 
cance for others and for ourselves. To 
hold with perfect serenity a thought of 
perfect love in all our relationships and 
contacts, is to live under the law of Love. 

To be undisturbed by the actions of 
others, knowing that all unkindness is only 
163 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

a lack of light and that every broken law 
brings its own punishment to the sinner, is 
to live under the law of love. To know 
that the reason one is in the world is for 
development through loving, unselfish aid 
to those who have lost or who cannot find 
their way, is to work in one's Circles. 

To give the best that is in one freely and 
lovingly at all times is to be of the Circles 
of Love. To purge one's heart of all malice 
and of all desire to hurt again those who 
have hurt us, is to be of the Circles of 
Love which lead further into eternal life 
than any dream who have not passed the 
portals to life here. 

To live knowing that what you call death 
is the open door to all real life and oppor- 
tunity, and that those who have come here 
would no more willingly return than a 
child would return to the embryo life, is 
to begin to realize the significance of life. 

To live in the light of the Circles of Love 
is to realize that we live tenderly guarded 
164 



LESSONS ON LOVE 

and guided by a loving, all- wise power, and 
to cast all fear aside and trust to that 
power, following where the guides lead and 
helping all who are near. And to him who 
struggles upward on the path will be given 
a full and complete freedom from earthly 
fears and from material, destructive 
forces, and to him will come the perfect 
and utter serenity of peace which those of 
the world can never otherwise find. 
This is the fourth lesson on Love. Love. 




165 



FIFTH LESSON ON LOVE 

To live in the light of God's love is to 
live in tender, loving sympathy with all 
who are near us. Only when His love is 
shared with all with whom we come in con- 
tact can we be said to really possess it our- 
selves, and no living thing and no human 
being, no matter how seemingly unworthy, 
is ever outside this love, and in order to 
fulfill our function m life, we must fully 
express this love and tender thought for 
all who are near us. 

As God guards and guides us day by 
day, leaving us perfectly free to do what 
we will, so should we do to those around 
us, and no departure from the path pointed 
out by us in life must ever influence our 
thought of love for the wilful one. As we 
fail with greater understanding, we must 
expect others to fail. Are we to receive 
166 



LESSONS ON LOVE 

forgiveness and not forgive others ? And 
the quantity of our mercy will show the 
quality of our loving understanding. 

Only when we put in practice the love 
we know and desire can we come into fuller 
understanding of that love, and as we con- 
sciously day by day and hour by hour, 
practise the attributes of love, we begin to 
realize what love can be. Yet the highest 
expression of love on earth is a poor 
shadow of real love, and as we develop we 
learn little by little of God's love for us, 
but we can only learn this through the ex- 
pression of love for others. We must ex- 
press love in order to acquire more power 
of loving, and the fuller the expression the 
greater the power. 

To be of these Circles is to be of limit- 
less power, but to be of these Circles is to 
be of utter and loving perfection. Few 
achieve on earth but those who really try 
are on the way and will achieve one day, 
and while everyone must eventually come 
167 



LIFE IN THE CIRCLES 

under the law, only those who begin during 
their life there come into full power. 

To be of full power means not to have 
failed to turn while there to God and to 
have consciously sought for guidance, and 
it also means to live the life to the best of 
one's ability, doing all that one can for 
others and, while in the world and of the 
world, keeping one's spiritual point of 
view. Only complete harmony and seren- 
ity can accomplish this and only by daily 
and hourly effort can this serenity be 
found. 

To be entirely detached from all mate- 
rial things and to be of the spiritual life 
only in heart, while outwardly living as all 
others, is to be of the Circles. To rise 
above all earthly troubles into the pure 
ether of spiritual life and power, gaily 
meeting the daily disturbances of earthly 
life and filled with the joy of helpfulness, 
is to be of the Circles of Love. 

To express in all relationships the tender 
168 



LESSONS ON LOVE 

sympathy of loving understanding, to do 
all that is humanly possible to smooth the 
path for others, to turn minute by minute 
to the loving, all-wise Father who holds all 
His children tenderly in the hollow of His 
hand, knowing that while living in this 
trust only good can possibly reach you, is 
to be of the Circles of Love. 
This is the fifth lesson on Love. Love. 




169 



SIXTH LESSON ON LOVE 

The fullest development that can come 
on earth leads one into these Circles of 
Love, and only when one's lesson is per- 
fectly learned is one of these highest 
Circles of all. 

Before we can be of these Circles we 
must be perfect in all others, and to few 
will come the complete mastery essential, 
but one day's work may take one so very 
far into the Circles that one can never tell 
how far he may go. One great act of un- 
selfish love may carry one to supreme spir- 
itual heights, just as one careless, selfish 
act may cast one very far down in the scale, 
but the oftener one rises to the heights the 
easier it becomes to remain there. 

As it is difficult to acquire complete self- 
control, so it is difficult to become a really 
spiritual being, for man is not born a 
170 



LESSONS ON LOVE 

spirit and he can only become one through 
his will and his effort. To be of the high- 
est needs supreme effort and a great desire 
that never falters. Yet all may achieve if 
they will without ceasing and if they stead- 
fastly lead the life of the spirit. 

To be of those who achieve will be to be 
of those shining ones whose work will be 
pronounced good by the Lord who judges, 
and to these will come a reward that is 
only for them to know when their work is 
finally judged. 

But as they work, to them is given a 
peace that passeth understanding and a 
joy that never fails. 

This is the sixth lesson on Love. Love. 




APPENDIX 

(A number of questions and answers received after 
the lessons and having no particular bearing on the 
teaching, but which we have added as being of interest.) 

(What is the most important thing to teach men?) 
"Love, and a willingness to help others." 
"Whenever you work constructively for others with 
no thought of self, you work for the spiritual forces." 

"* Circles' are forces for the best teaching of man- 
kind, and if you work with ' Circles ' you will help many 
who would otherwise be without help on earth." 

(Must I think of as better off because he died?) 

"No, think of him as alive." 

(When will we be able to write [automatically] alone?) 
"That depends on your willingness to obliterate your 
own desire." 

(Can we ask for those we want to reach and get 
messages from them?) 
" No, not now." 
(Will we be able to later?) 
"Able when you learn the laws better and know how 

172 



APPENDIX 

and for whom to ask. No one is allowed to seek them 
for curiosity." 

(Would communication with the next world be the 
best thing that could come to men now?) 

"Yes, it would end all fear and be the best of work, 
and if we knew, it would bring peace for all." 

"All work that is for the world is for God. 'Love 
your brother as yourself ' is the command of Christ, and 
all who would follow Him must follow this truth." 

(But when people show hostility towards us how can 
we love them?) 

"Look only at their good qualities, and do not let 
what they do to you influence." 

(When a person in our world dies, who meets them 
in the next world?) 

"They will be met by those whom they knew and 
loved on earth, and also by helpful ones." 

(When next I see will it be the same between us?) 

"Yes, you will see no change at first, and then you 
will see much growth and beauty." 

"We will leave you until you believe — until you 
work well for others. This is only for you if you 
profit by it spiritually." 

(This was written one day in the beginning of our 
work when we spoke to each other of the desire we felt 
to get everyone out of the way so that we could be 

173 



APPENDIX 

free to work. After the above sentence was written we 
tried for nearly half an hour but we could not get one 
word more that day. And the next day the first words 
were, "Are we better today? Are we more loving?" 

(Do those in the next world do what they are told 
to do or do they choose their work?) 

"There is a choice and each one does what he wants 
to do." 

(Spirit, am I to be entirely guided by you in life?) 

"No, you must be independent and go on your own 
way as you will, but if you take the right way we will 
help you. If you take the other way the guides wait." 

(I have been so lonely today. Has that interfered 
with my work?) 

"When you shut the door of your heart, we too are 
shut out from you. It will soon pass. All progress is 
in waves and you will go on again." 

"We must cast out fear. God is love and you are 
His child." 

(Do people in the other world feel like that all the 
time?) 

" There are all kinds of spirits here too, and only those 
who are awake feel as they should and as they must. As 
a man dies in the world so he is born here, and he must 
work much harder because he has wasted much time." 

"We are able to reach you only through your atten- 
tion being voluntarily given to us." 

174 



APPENDIX 

"Children have a special world of their own and you 
cannot always reach them. Children grow faster and 
better in a place where there are no deterrent spirits." 

(Personal communication from ..) 

" Tell G— that the little children (who had died some 
months before) are well and happy and that we are 
together very often." 

(H. You know that G — is here?) 

"Yes, I wrote for her." 

(H. A little while ago you told us that you never 
saw the children, how is it that you are with them 
now?) 

" I am beginning to know how to reach them." 

(H. Who cares for them?) 

"Loving spirits who want to serve children." 

(H. When you see them is it as it was on earth?) 

"Yes, but you have much greater love, — and will to 
reach them is needed." 



(How should one try to put one's self in communica- 
tion with the spiritual world?) , 
" Work for those in the world and pray for guidance* 
(Spirit, when you say "pray" what do you mean?) 
" The lifting up of your heart and soul to God. The 
bodily position is of no consequence, — the attitude of the 
mind is the thing that counts." 

(In order to be safe from interference in trying auto- 
matic writing the attitude of mind steadily held is most 

175 



APPENDIX 

important, and until one has learned how to do this, 
one should not really try to write.) 

"There are interfering forces who wish to prevent 
lessons being given to God's children, and they will 
interfere whenever you are not strong of purpose and 
pure of heart." 

One must hold "a clear vision of assured expectation 
of the truth and an attitude of prayer. No outside 
force can reach you if you have the right attitude." 

(Spirit, is there any way to give proof to those who 
search?) 

"No, each one must search for himself, and the door 
will be opened to each who seeks." 

"All who help their brothers are living the life. 
Those who are unselfish are able to find their guides 
very quickly, and only when man is in touch with his 
guides can he reach those who have gone before. All 
who have lost are anxious to reach their loved ones 
and only through these guides can they do so." 

"Love is never wasted on man or beast. All that the 
world can give cannot buy love. All that money can 
do cannot buy love. All that man dares or tries can- 
not buy love. All that the greatest can bestow cannot 
buy love. Love is a free gift of the soul that must be 
given, not bought, and love is worth more than all 
else in the world. Love is the highest expression of 
life, and love is all-including, all-enduring, all- 
embracing." 

176 



APPENDIX 

(Message received as we were going away for some 
weeks in September, 1919, " Is there anything to say 
now that we are leaving?") 

"All that you do or say must be in love. All that 
you do er say must be in wisdom. All that you do or 
say must be in every way after the highest that you 
know. All that you think must be sweet and pure. 
All that you dream must be of how to do God's will. 
All that you dream will come true. All that you dream 
by night and day is for your best effort. All that can 
be done to keep you in the right path will be done." 

"For when the light fails on earth those who have 
worked with the Circles will be greatly rewarded, and 
the time is short for all on earth." 

"Love to the full of each one's capacity all who are 
on earth and here." 
"Love to the uttermost those who are near you." 
"Love to the outside limits those who offend you." 
"Pray to God for clear vision and belief." 

November 17th, 1919. 

(During the writing of the lessons on Will.) 

(We had both gone through a very trying day during 
which we had been annoyed, upset and cross, and when 
we started our work the writing began:) 

"We are here and you really should do better." 

(Which of us should do better?) 

" Both. For awhile you are intended to work to- 
gether, both having the same tendency to lack of self- 

177. 



APPENDIX 

control, and both being of the same Circles; and we 
must control ourselves if we are to work well." 



November 26th, 1919. 

"We are here and we are willing to tell you all that 
you can understand but you must study more." 

(You mean study the lessons?) 

"Yes, and everything that tells you what the work 
of life is." 

December 8th, 1919. 

(One of the sentences being long and not clearly 
written we had great difficulty in reading it. Finally 
A. asked "Will you give us the first part of that sen- 
tence again?") 

" Work.' 

(After some further attempts on our part.) 

"Are we to work or play?" 

(A little later after more futile attempts and when we 
were discouraged.) 

"Are we to do what you wish only?" 

(In the midst of a sentence in the fifth lesson on 
will.) 

"We will not continue." 

(Oh, may we not finish the lesson?) 

" is not concentrating." 

(I know, but I will try.) 

"We will try again." 

178 



APPENDIX 

December 9th, 1919. 

(During the lessons on Knowledge.) 

(In the midst of a sentence.) 

"We will continue tomorrow." 

(. . . Oh, my mind was wandering! Was it that? 
I am so sorry.) 

"You must learn to concentrate. Are we to do what- 
ever you wish or will you do as we ask? We will teach 
you great things only if you use them wisely. We are 
satisfied with your intentions but you must work harder. 
Study more, love more, teach more. Are you satisfied 
with us? Love." 

December 15th, 1919. 

"We are here and we will only be able to work for 
a short time today." 

(Nothing wrong with us is there?) 

"No, we are very busy." 

(A little later.) 

" We will continue tomorrow and we will take up the 
question of transmigration of souls." (See the first 
lesson on Knowledge, sentence beginning "Spirit has 
existed always, etc.") 

December 26th, 1919. 

(Spirit, wanted me to ask if the teaching in the 

Old Testament was received in writing like this?) 
" No, by personal inspiration." 
(They received it through their minds?) 

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APPENDIX 

"Yes " 

(Have all great teachers received their teaching from 
intercourse with your world?) 

" Yes, but some prophets and teachers have had much 
more in their own souls than others." 

(A. to H. Do you suppose that light and radium 
and the love of God are all terms for the same thing?) 

"You are beginning to apprehend." 

(After the first lesson on Joy.) 

(Spirit, is there any virtue in fasting?) 

"All spiritual teachers have worked with fasting and 
with prayer." 

(Should we give up meat or keep to any diet? I 
mean would it advance us in spiritual power?) 

" To be of the inner life will require giving up grosser 
material things and meat is a strong material food." 

December 30th, 1919. 

(Should we fast? And to what extent?) 
"If you can do so without hurting yourself it would 
lessen the material hold." 

December 31st, 1919. 

(During the third lesson on Joy.) 

(Before the writing began we were discussing a friend 
who would not admit the possibility of a future life.) 

"We are here and we will tell you what to say to 
those who do not believe in the continuity of personal 
identity. Even when the world is not understanding 

180 



APPENDIX 

this eventually will be clear, because the whole scientific 
world believes in the indestructibility of matter and 
energy, and life is a form of energy and cannot be 
destroyed. Even when a drop of water is absorbed in 
a cloud it will still be a drop of water; and so it will 
be with man. He will retain all the personality that he 
has ever had, and even his outward form will be 
recognizable." 

January 4th, 1920. 

(Spirit, may I ask a question?) 

" Ask." 

(What line of study should we follow? I know the 
vague reading I do is not enough.) 

" Read all that the prophets and teachers have writ- 
ten from time to time and your guides will tell you 
what is eternally true and what is only man's imagi- 
nation." 

(We don't work nearly as hard as we should, do we?) 

"No, but you will learn." 

January 2nd, 1920. 

(After a day's work in which we had not been atten- 
tive.) 

"If you are to continue this work you must try to 
work better and learn to prayerfully concentrate on 
what we are teaching. You will not be able to work 
if you do not live the life. Are we to be willing to 
work always when you wish, and you as you choose? 

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APPENDIX 

We are always at your call and you are not willing to 
work daily. Are we to be put aside for worldly 
interests? God is waiting while you play." 

January 3rd, 1920. 

(The work today began,) 

"Are we really ready to work now?" 

"Are we pure in heart?"? "Are we willing to be 
of God's obedient children?" 

" Are we to do as He wishes? " 

"God is willing that you should have all earthly 
pleasures if you put them in their proper place." 

January 5th, 1920. 

"Those who have gone to higher spheres can always 
return, but those in the lower spheres cannot come into 
the higher places until they have earned the right." 

(May I ask a question?) 

"Ask." 

(Is the reason that we have been able to get one or 
two messages lately because we are getting a little more 
into these Circles?) 

" We are never willing to tell where a student stands." 

January 7th, 1920. 

(In reference to a proposed trip that would post- 
pone our lessons.) 

"We are always willing to have you work first for 
Others, and then for this teaching for yourselves." 

182 



APPENDIX 

January 13th, 1920. 

"We are here and we are ready. When all that we 
can do to teach is done we will stop working with you." 
(But Spirit, you said you would work with us as 
long as we worked well. Is that so?) 

"Yes, only if you do not do better we will wait." 
(Are we failing to get the concentration that you 
expected ?) 

"Are we never to make you understand that you 
must work? When all these lessons have been finished 
and revised we will wait for you to be of further 
power before continuing. It will depend on yourselves 
entirely how soon we come back." 

(If we work hard will it be necessary for you to go?) 
"No, that depends on you and when you are willing 
to be of utter and complete obedience." 
(My spirit is willing but habit is strong.) 
"Habit is to be broken. All do not believe what 
they are told, but you know. All do not believe what 
they hear, but you both are well informed. And to be 
given everything and not use it well is to be willing 
to be of the evil forces." 

(Have you anything to say to P — [a visitor]?) 
"She has the necessary power but she must work 
and live the life in order to develop it without inter- 
ference. To live the life, one must study and learn 
utter obedience to all that God wills, and eradicate 
wilfulness." 
"She should try to write only when she knows how 

183 



APPENDIX 

to hold the necessary attitude of mind to prevent her 
being used by outside powers." 

(Have you any objection to my going to a medium 
who seems to be an honest person?) 

"We do not like it for we want you to develop your 
own power." 



January 21st, 1920. 

(Here follows an extraordinary experience. Some 
months before this A. had entrusted a friend with a 
very delicate confidential mission in the execution of 
which she felt he had not understood the confidence she 
had placed in him, and had failed in a matter of the 
utmost importance to her. In discussing this one day 
with H. she voiced this opinion, and H/s advice was 
that a letter should be written by A. to Mr. Blank 
telling him frankly the feeling that A. had and so 
clearing the way for possible explanations that might 
lead to a better understanding; for to live the life as 
we were told we must it would not allow harboring any 
feeling of bitterness. 

That night the letter was written but it was uncon- 
sciously phrased in a spirit of extreme bitterness, and 
when received was a great shock to Mr. Blank who was 
unconscious of any wrong-doing, and who felt that it 
was unjust and entirely misrepresented his actions. 
This at the time was unknown to H. who did not know 
that letter had been sent. 

The next three days' experience follows.) 

184 



APPENDIX 

"We are here and we are going to give you a lesson 
that is for you alone. 

"Whenever anyone has anything against his brother 
he must wait until he can tell him without anger or 
bitterness and he must close his heart to all temper or 
feeling of bitterness. This he can only do through a 
strong determination and much prayer. To harbor 
any feeling of unkindness prevents all work of this 
kind. Our guides can only reach us when our hearts 
are those of loving, little children, free from all 
uncharitableness. And until we obey the command of 
Christ to be at one with all whom we know, we are 
outside the reach of all of our Circles.'* 

(A. I don't know what command they refer to.) 

"We will not continue until you are in a different 
mood." 

(A. I am not conscious of not being in the right 
mood.) 

(Then followed a discussion over the text and we 
asked if it was, "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to 
the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath 
ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the 
altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, 
and then come and offer thy gift." (Math. 5:23. 
24.) 

"That is a command to be in love and sympathy with 
all whom you know. Think this over carefully and 
pray for guidance while you are away from each other." 
(H. was leaving town for some days.) "We will be 
near you and we will help you but until all trace of 

185 



APPENDIX 

uncharitableness has been purged from your hearts we 
will wait to continue the lessons." 

"Work hard, learn sympathy and tenderness toward 
all whom you know and be a loving child of God, 
showing only kindness toward every living thing, or 
lose your Circles until you do as they require." 

(H. That sounds like an alternative.) 

" It is an alternative, if you do not love with all your 
force there on earth and cherish anger toward anyone 
or thing." 

January 27th, 1920. 
(H. was absent several days during which time A. 

had written Mr. Blank a letter of explanation and 

apology, and felt that all that could be done had been 

done.) 
"We are here and we are not satisfied that you are 

working to the best of your ability." 
(H. Could you tell us why you are not satisfied?) 
" We are not able to see the light in your inner lives 

that should be there." 

(H. I know just what you mean but we do try.) 
"We will wait until you are really ready to go on." 
"Are you pure of heart? Are you pure of mind?" 
" Are you being loving to all of your fellows ? " 
"Are you sorry when you hurt another and are you 

willing to make amends to the uttermost?" 
"Have you written to say that you are very sorry?" 
" Has every trace of bitterness been obliterated from 

your heart?" 

186 



APPENDIX 

" Pray more and tomorrow we will work." 
(H. Won't you give us a lesson today?) 
"Not until your light is clearer. We will be with 
you today in all your work and prayers." 

(Here we had a talk on the occasion of this disci- 
pline, A. saying that she had written an apology and 
did not see what else she could do.) 

"But you hurt a fellow-man, and when the remem- 
brance of the hurt feeling is entirely wiped out by 
your actions your power will be again what it was." 
"Work and pray. Love." 

January 28th, 1920. 

"We are here and we are not yet satisfied. We will 
tell you what must be done.' 

"Are you in close sympathy with all around you?" 

"Are you very tender and loving to all who worry 
over outside things? Are you close to God?" 

"Are you in close touch with all men who come to 
you? " 

"Work hard and pray for more light and guidance. 
Tomorrow we will try again." 

(H. How are we to know what to do?) 

"We will tell you when you are in the right path 
again." 

(A. to H. Apparently as long as anyone feels 
grieved at us for something for which we are responsible, 
we ourselves lose in spiritual power.) 

"Are you sure of what you think?" 

187 



APPENDIX 

" Are you in the love of all others ? " 

"Are you in a world of material desire to be weak 
or to grow?" 

" Are we willing to write whenever you will and you 
shirk the work that develops your power? Are you 
sure of your own desire for advancement?" 

"Love." 

January 29th, 1920. 

"We are here and we can work today. Whenever 
you are in doubt of anything we are waiting to help 
you." 

"Love and work and study and slowly grow into a 
fuller comprehension of spiritual things." (Then began 
the first lesson on Understanding.) 

February 3rd, 1920. 

(One of us had been very unhappy over an attack 
made on one she dearly loved.) 

"We are here and we are ready. Are we pure in 
heart and mind?" 

"Are we purged of base thoughts?" 

" Are we to be about God's work only, and are we 
willingly to forgive our enemies?" 

" Are we to be of those who know what love can be, 
and will not practice it on earth whenever the irritation 
of outside trouble comes?" 

(But to defend those one loves must be a part of 
love.) 

188 



APPENDIX 

"Love is always to be defended but without anger 
or bitterness." 

February 10th, 1920. 

(H. Will you give me a word about Brady's death. 
A man who had died at the military hospital.) 

" Can you doubt that all is well with him and that he 
is happier than he ever dreamed of being?" 

February 13th, 1920. 

" Sadness must be utterly and entirely shut out if one 
is to be of power. Those who allow themselves to be 
sad will not be able to do this work." 

(Do you mean that it is an absolute duty to be 
cheerful?) 

" It is God's law that His obedient children should 
be happy. All who work well will be cheerful and 
happy. Those who work well will be filled with a 
radiant content that is utter happiness." 

February 14th, 1920. 

"We will guide you at all times and our love is 
around you always" (here H. said, "This sounds like 
another control"), "but we will not be satisfied with 
weakness or poor work." (As the sentence was finished 
she added, " Oh no, this is you all right " and we both 
laughed.) 

"We are happy when you laugh at our chiding and 

189 



APPENDIX 

we are pleased with your understanding, but you must 
carry it into your living consciousness." 

February 15th, 1920. 

"V r e are not entirely satisfied but your efforts are 
being sustained by all the help that we can give you 
while you fail to utterly open the doors to us. We can 
only reach you when you pray and this must be your 
constant and unremitting attitude of mind. Work 
harder, dear children of earth! We need you and 
can only fully use you when you are more perfectly 
developed." 

February 26th, 1920. 

(I want to ask if this material life is just a delusion 
of the senses and if we will wake up from it as from 
a dream?) 

"It is real and of the most serious importance to 
each one of you. The fight to dominate the material 
by the spiritual is no dream." 

February 27th, 1920. 

(Spirit, A.P. would like to know why material-minded 
people, such as , often get such spiritual communi- 
cations?) 

"We do not know how she is able to judge who is 
spiritual and who is material. Here we see the inner 
radiance, there you cannot see it." 

(Does the degree of spiritual advancement of the 

190 



APPENDIX 

one who receives the message have anything to do with 
the nature of the message received?) 

u Not always. There are some human instruments who 
can transmit any message without in the least appre- 
hending the meaning, but usually the one receiving must 
have spiritual apprehension or the message is distorted." 

(Is an emanation of some physical matter necessary 
in all physical phenomena — such as this writing?) 

"We use your physical force in conjunction with 
your psychic mind." 

(Would there be more physical force if we were in a 
dark room?) 

"All physical and material forces are of darkness, 
but spiritual power may be the same force regenerated 
through spiritual light and life." 

(Would actual physical light mean increased spiritual 
perception?) 

"No spiritual light can be increased by any lesser 
light. Only work and love can increase spiritual per- 
ception." 

April 5th, 1920. 

(At the end of the sixth lesson on Sympathy after 
A. had been ill and unable to write for some weeks.) 

"Anne must rest and continue now to work." 

"Love and joy to work with you again. Love and 
peace of mind to you, guarded as you are by your 
guides and loved ones." 

(A. Was there anything that I could have done to 
have avoided this illness?) 

191 



APPENDIX 

"You are paying the penalty of broken physical 
laws. One cannot overdo without breaking the law, 
and all broken laws either physical, moral or spiritual, 
bring their inevitable punishment. ,, 

April 14th, 1920. 

"We are here and we are not able to write until 
you are a little more rested. When A. is a little stronger 
we will continue. We are not able to use you when you 
are so tired. We will be ready to work with you in 
two or three days now. Love, dear children." 

May 4th, 1920. 

" Do not continue. Anne is too tired." (We were cor- 
recting a lesson.) 

(Anne said that she was not conscious of being tired 
and H. said she was surprised as she thought Anne 
was less tired than yesterday.) 

"We are not sure of what you read." (This was 
during the reading of the lessons for revision.) 

(Anne. Oh, now I understand. I did not know 
what you meant.) 

" Good. We are satisfied. When you work well 
we get each word. Today we get very little and when 
you are «oncentrated we get it all." 



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